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LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S 
BOOK 

LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY 




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awaiting the visitors 



LITTLE 

WOODCRAFTER’S 

BOOK 

BY 

LILLIAN ELIZABETH JlOY 

AUTHOR OP ^ 

“the woodcraft girls at camp,” etc. 



NEW YORK 

GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 




Jt 


COPYEIGHT, 1917, 

BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 


( 

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NOV 1917' 


C 

A 

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c e t 
e 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 


©CU476904 

i 


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Acknowledgments for courtesies extended the Author 
are tendered M. F. Hoisington, for Woodcraft photo- 
graphs; William Voigt Becker for Indian Folk Lore sto- 
ries; G. Shirmer, Music Publishers, for March I March 
song and “America”; Jane Drancfield Stone, for “The 
Best Tree of All”; Bryan Battey, for aeroplane and cam- 
era patterns; Dodge Company for suggestions in “Home 
Fun” by Cecil BuUivant; Josephine Williams, for “Rain- 
drops”; Mattie Lee Hausen for “True Song”; T. Cramp- 
ton, for “Bumble-Bee” and “Frog^s Party” songs. 



CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

One Starting the Little Lodge 15 

Two A Week of Work 35 

Three The Mayday Party for Betty .... 60 

Four The Little Lodge Wins Honours .... 83 

Five Busy Days of FunI loi 

Six Story Telling and Dancing 117 

Seven A Week End Camp on the Palisades . . 129 

Eight Folk Lore and Legends 149 

Nine Off for Wickeecheokee Camp 173 

Ten The Story of the Robins 192 

Eleven Fun at Wickeecheokee Camp 214 

Twelve A Rainy Afternoon 236 

Thirteen Preparing for the Fourth 256 

Fourteen The Fourth of July Party 273 

Fifteen At Woodchuck Camp in the Adirondacks . 288 

Sixteen The End of the Summer Camp .... 308 


vii 



ILLUSTRATIONS 


Awaiting the Visitors [see Page 322] Frontispiece ^ 

PAGE 

Whisk Broom Patterns 42 

Completed Broom Holder 47 

Patterns of Betty’s Catch-all 49 

The Peanut Chickens 50 

The Bird House 52 

The Inkawink Indians 57 

The Inkawink Trees 58 

“Lem’me fink — Teddy knows dat flower” 68 

The Inkawink Cows 93 

The Inkawink Hens 94 

The Inkawink Lions 95 

The Inkawink Dancers .97 

The Inkawink Men <99 

Here Teddy Established His Workshop 104 

The ’Mer’can Eagle 107 

The Pins 120 

“Can You Read This?” 121 

“OhShiefI” 132/ 

iz 


X 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

“March! March!” Song 136-137 

Hazel Leaf and Blossom i44 

Hazel Bud and Catkin i44 

Beech Blossom 144 

Beech Nuts i44 

American Chestnut 144 

White Elm 144 

La Berg^re — French Folk Song 146-147 

Edith Showed Them the Dance 158'^ 

The Brownies’ Star 161 

Song of “The Frog’s Party” 176 

The Frog’s Party (Picture) 178 

Patterns of Aeroplanes 203 

Correct Manner of Launching . 205 

The Brave Little Robin 209 

Teddy Sat upon a Log and Kept Time 216 

Weaving a Grass Mat 222 

“America” Song 228-229 

Pattern of Wheel . 239 

Clothes Horse Screen Ready 240 

Pin-hole Design 241 

Use a Lantern 242 

Pinhole Envelope 244 

“Gefunden” — German Folk Song 256-257 

Patterns for Petals 260 

Patterns of Flowers . 262 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Th« Peanut Team 

Th® Peanut Pct» 

The American Merchant Marine . 

The Lima Bean 

Pattern for Brownie-gram . . . 

A Brownie-gram 

A Lady Brownie-gram .... 
The Medicine Man .... 

The Lone Scout 

Painting the Totems .... 
Bumble-Bee — Song .... 
“Hail, O Brothers I” .... 

Pinhole Camera 

Billy and Paul Practising the Dances 


xi 

PAOK 

26s 

266 

268 

270 

274 

275 

277 



296 

304 

306 

316 

320 



LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


I 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S 
BOOK 


CHAPTER ONE 

STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 

H ey, Zan ! Let me in !’' shouted Bobby Baker, as 
he pounded violently upon the plate glass panel 
in the front door of his home. 

‘Tor goodness' sake, wait! I’m coming just as fast 
as ever I can, Bob!” cried Suzanne Baker, rushing 
through the hall to admit her youngest brother. 

Then, as the door swung open, she added, “Did 
you think I was a streak of lightning?” 

“Humph! I guess not! I always knew you were 
a tortoise!” retorted Bob, with the usual impatience 
of a thirteen-year-old active boy who firmly believes 
that sisters are placed in the family for his especial 
benefit. 

The moment he had entered the library, he turned 
to his sister and demanded, “Say, I hear you started 
that Little Lodge for Woodcrafters !” 

“Miss Miller suggested that we girls begin one for 
our little friends, so I planned most of it — why?” said 
Zan, puzzled at the resentment expressed in her broth- 
er’s tone and face. 


15 


i6 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘‘ ’Cause, you promised to help Fiji and me get our 
Band of boys organised and going this summer, and 
here you take our time to start something for a lot 
of babies!” cried Bob, and disappointment spoke in 
every word. 

‘"Oh, that’s what’s the matter with you this after- 
noon, is it?” laughed Zan, going over to the table 
where she had been sorting papers when her brother 
interrupted her. ‘Well, Bobs, don’t worry any more 
about that! Mrs. Remington has already planned for 
a Band for you boys to be annexed to the Tribe she is 
now working on. Her first Band is eager to secure 
enough boys to complete the number necessary to char- 
ter as a Tribe, so she asked me if I thought you boys 
would like to join them. Mrs. Remington is an ex- 
perienced Woodcrafter with that wonderful all-year- 
round camp on their country place, so I knew you 
boys would jump at the opportunity to belong to a 
Tribe equipped with everything the Remingtons 
have.” 

As he heard the welcome news, Bob’s expression 
changed from impatience to satisfaction, and he sud- 
denly showed an unusual interest in the work his sis- 
ter was doing. 

“What’s all that stuff for?” asked he. 

“Oh, it’s for our Little Lodge,” replied Zan. 

“Can’t you tell a feller who’s in it, and what they 
expect to do?” continued Bob. 

“Why, of course, if you really wish to know. All 
this material was sent to Miss Miller from Mrs. Rem- 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


17 

ington, whose own little ones expect to belong to our 
Band. She calls it ‘Pangi Wigwam/ which is Indian 
for Little Lodge, you know,” said Zan. 

Bob thought an apology was in order for his recent 
display of vexation, so he stood by the table watching 
his sister, and saying, walked home from school 
with Jack Hubert and he told me that you girls were 
forming a Little Lodge and were going to make us 
wait. Jane told him, but he was so mad he didn’t 
ask her any particulars about it, and she said she 
wouldn’t tell him a thing, just because he acted so 
sulky.” 

‘Well, that was it! Jane knew of Mrs. Reming- 
ton’s plan before Jack found out about our Brownies,” 
replied Zan. 

“Tell us about the Brownies, will you?” asked Bob, 
with brotherly condescension, seeing that he felt under 
obligation to Zan for telling him about the Remington 
Tribe. 

“Considering that I am First Assistant to the Guide, 
who, of course, is Miss Miller, I can tell you anything 
you wish to know about,” returned Zan. 

Bob sat upon the edge of a chair to hear if there 
was anything in a Little Lodge to interest a boy 
of his age, and Zan continued talking while she sorted 
papers. 

“In the Little Lodge, boys and girls are together, 
you know, as long as they are under twelve years 
of age. If you were only a year younger you could 
join my Brownies.” 


i8 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

“Me! ME!’’ gasped Bob, in shocked unbelief. 

Zan looked up quickly at her brother’s exclamation, 
and laughed at his disgusted look. 

“Of course, why not?” teased Zan. 

“What! Join a Band of Babies when I am in next 
to highest grade of grammar! / shall join a regular 
Tribe of Boys!” 

“Don’t get apoplexy over it — I was only joking 
with you, anyway. I doubt if I’d want such big boys 
in our Band to set the little ones examples of mis- 
chief !” retorted Zan. 

“How old are they, then?” wondered Bob. 

“We have seven children in all, to start with. Paul, 
Hilda’s brother, is ten years old. Billy Remington, 
who knows so much about Woodcraft that he will 
prove a great help, is nearly eleven. Then, there’s his 
sister Edith, who is eight, and little Teddy, who is 
four. The Remington children’s cousins, Betty and 
Tammy Fullerton, are aged six and three, while Jane 
Hubert’s little cousin. Dot Hubert, is aged five. They 
are the dearest children, and will be so interesting!” 
said Zan, enthusiastically. 

“You’ve got an assortment of ages, at any rate!” 
laughed Bob. 

“That’s what we wanted! The older ones, like 
Billy and Edith Remington, will work so hard for the 
honours to be won, that they will set a good example 
for the others. If all were young children it would 
be harder for us to keep them interested and am- 
bitious,” returned Zan. 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


19 


‘‘But the youngest kiddies can’t try for an honour ! 
If Teddy is four and Tammy but three, they can’t 
do much besides sitting and watching the others do 
stunts!” ventured Bob. 

“Don’t you believe it! Why, Teddy Remington not 
only knows his wild flowers — one for each year of his 
age — but he swims like a little fish ! It was the cutest 
thing to watch him kicking out his fat pudgy little 
legs when he showed us how he could take the test 
for swimming! He looked exactly like a baby bull- 
frog!” laughed Zan, at remembrance of Teddy’s ex- 
ploit. 

“Well ! I should say he was some boy 1” admitted 
Bob. 

“Bob, that reminds me — you will have to stop us- 
ing so much slang when you join the Woodcrafters! 
They give a chump-mark every time a member is 
caught using slang,” warned his sister. 

“Oh, say! If you’re going to preach. I’m going! 
I promised Jack Hubert I’d play ball this afternoon, 
anyway, so I’m off!” 

Without waiting to hear whether Zan approved of 
his leaving so unceremoniously or not. Bob ran out. 

Bob had not been gone very long when the bell 
rang. It was Thursday and the maid’s day out, so 
Zan answered the door. To her delight, Hilda Al- 
vord and Nita Brampton stood outside. 

“Oh, Zan, we just left Miss Miller! She says you 
had the Little Lodge papers here, so we came over 


20 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


to see them. I am appointed to be the dancing teacher 
— isn’t it going to be fun!” cried Nita, laughingly. 

‘‘And I am supposed to show the children how to 
be a home cook, because Miss Miller says I am such a 
fine housekeeper,” added Hilda. 

“Yes, I am so interested already, that I am anxious 
for Friday afternoon to come. Bob just left and 
he said he didn’t see how such little youngsters can 
do Woodcraft things, so I told him about Teddy 
Remington,” explained Zan, leading the way to the 
library where she had been working. 

As the three girls sat down, Hilda said, “Do you 
know, after I told Paul he was so excited about join- 
ing the Lodge that he couldn’t sleep last night. He 
wanted me to sit up and tell him all the things the 
Brownies did, and how many honours I thought he 
could win the first week 1” 

“He must think that honour-winning is easy work,” 
laughed Nita. 

“I haven’t the slightest idea what the honours are 
for the Little Lodge, — have you, Zan ?” replied Hilda. 

“Yes, they’re all given here on the papers. Sup- 
pose you read them aloud to Nita. I was impressed, 
when I read them over, by the manner in which they 
begin with a simple test such as Tammy or Betty can 
do, and gradually grow harder and harder, until it 
would seem impossible to any one who wasn’t a Wood- 
crafter, for a child to accomplish,” said Zan, passing 
the papers to Hilda. 

Nita glanced over Hilda’s shoulder as she looked at 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


21 


the list of honours mentioned, but the door-bell rang 
and interrupted the girls again. 

“Wait a second, Hilda — mother is away with father 
and Katy has her day out, so I have to answer the 
door,’’ said Zan, running from the room. 

In a few moments she re-entered, followed by Jane 
Hubert and Elena Marsh, the two girls who completed 
the five members of Woodcraft Girls at Camp on 
Wickeecheokee Farm the previous summer. 

“Oh, hello, girls! Did you know Nita and I were 
here?” cried Hilda, jumping up to welcome the new- 
comers. 

Jane replied for Elena and herself. “We just met 
Bob Baker down the street, and he told us Zan had 
the papers for a Little Lodge, so we stopped in to see 
them,” explained she. 

“I was just about to read the list of honours aloud, 
when you rang the bell. Sit down, and listen to them,” 
said Hilda. 

When Hilda concluded the girls seemed amazed at 
some of the things listed for little Brownies. 

“They seem rather stiff tests for a kiddie of Teddy’s 
age, I think,” said Jane. 

“But, you see, Jane, they aren’t all for four-year- 
olds! They are graded in such a way that Billy and 
Paul will be able to take the harder tests quite easily !” 
exclaimed Zan. 

“And the funny part is, that the Brownie of four 
can do a lot more stunts than Paul who is almost 
eleven! This is proof conclusive, that it is experience 


22 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


that enables the children to win these tests. Teddy 
had his mother to show him these things, and seeing 
his brothers and sisters do them, he naturally tried 
to do them, too !” added Hilda. 

‘'Little Tammy or Betty can easily do the tests 
given for their age, and as the child grows older the 
tests get harder,’* said Nita, looking at the list again. 

After an hour of animated planning and discussion 
for their future Little Lodge, the girls parted to wait 
impatiently for the next day when .the seven Little 
Woodcrafters would be formally attached to the Big 
Lodge of girls who first started Wako Tribe. 

Miss Miller, the Guide of Wickeecheokee Band, and 
now the Guide of Wako Tribe into which the first 
Band developed, was in the gymnasium of the school 
where she taught physical culture. It was Friday 
afternoon and school was just out, when Zan and 
Elena came in to assist the teacher with a few pre- 
liminary things to be attended to before the meeting 
took place. 

“Here we are. Miss Miller!” called Zan, with her 
usual impetuosity. 

“And glad I am to see you ! I was wondering how 
I could complete these books before the Brownies ar- 
rived,” replied Miss Miller. 

“Oh, they won’t be here for ten minutes, or more. 
We sent Hilda, Nita and Jane to gather them to- 
gether,” said Elena. 

“I don’t think any one of the applicants to-day will 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


23 

lose on the fourth condition mentioned in the initia- 
tions/’ laughed Miss Miller. 

*‘Which one is that — I can’t remember it?” asked 
Zan. 

“The one that says, ‘Must be voted into the Tribe 
unanimously.’ You all are so overjoyed with the un- 
dertaking of a Little Lodge, that you all believe the 
children will prove to be angels.” 

“Whatever they prove to be, we will never regret 
having annexed the Little Lodge!” declared Zan, em- 
phatically. 

But the sound of children’s eager voices reached 
the room, and the three occupants hurried out to wel- 
come the Brownies. 

Paul Alvord and Dot Hubert were the only ones of 
the group of children who were already acquainted 
with Miss Miller, so Zan undertook to introduce the 
other five, beginning with Billy Remington, who was 
eleven. 

“Miss Miller, this is Billy, almost old enough to 
become a Brave. He holds honours and coups men- 
tioned in the Big Lodge Manual for boys that he may 
retain when he leaves the Little Lodge. 

“Billy’s older brother and sister are experienced 
Woodcrafters, so that accounts for the ambition of 
the younger members of the family. I know that Billy 
will prove to be of great service to us in working 
with our Little Lodge, won’t you, Billy?” added Zan. 

Billy Remington nodded seriously and Miss Miller 


24 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

smiled. ‘'Billy is very welcome to our Council,” said 
she. 

“How!” returned Billy, using the Indian term for 
approval or welcome. 

The Woodcraft girls looked pleased at his unex- 
pected reply, while some of the children looked at 
each other for an explanation, as they had never heard 
the Indian salutation before. 

“Brownies,” explained the Guide, seeing the ques- 
tioning looks, “I am pleased to hear Billy use the 
Indian word; now, that you have heard it, suppose 
we use it hereafter, to express our pleasure, surprise, 
welcome or approval?” 

The older girls immediately signified their accep- 
tance of the suggestion by saying “How!” and the 
Brownies smiled their consent. 

“O-oh! Teddy tan tsay ‘How’ too, dus’ like Billy 
do!” cried Teddy Remington eagerly, as soon as he 
saw the reception accorded his brother’s idea. 

That made every one laugh, and Teddy found him- 
self the centre of attraction in the school-room as he 
generally was at home. 

“Although it is out of order, it behooves me to 
introduce Teddy next; if I don’t, he will take the 
honour for himself !” said Zan, pushing Teddy in front 
of Miss Miller. 

The children giggled and Teddy, thinking he had 
done or said something unusually bright, laughed hilar- 
iously. As soon as quiet was again restored, Zan 
introduced the hero. 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


25 

‘This is Theodore Roosevelt Remington ! The 
young man who can tell his four wild flowers and 
swim ten yards!’’ 

“Dlad to — to-o — 0-oh, I fordet what Billy wan’s 
me to tsay!” quoth Teddy, making a quaint little 
curtsey in spite of his abbreviated acknowledgment. 
So cute did he act that Jane was tempted to give him 
a hug. 

Teddy, although his name might imply that he was 
fond of bear hugs, never tolerated them, so he wrig- 
gled quickly out of his admirer’s arms and scowled 
at her fiercely. 

Miss Miller had to laugh at the independent young 
man and said to Zan, in a whisper, “A strenuous Brave, 
just like his namesake!” 

Zan smiled and beckoned to the next Brownie wait- 
ing to be introduced to the Guide. 

“This is Edith Remington who can do almost as 
many Woodcraft things as our Big Lodge members. 
Miss Miller. Her age alone keeps her from being a 
member of a Big Lodge.” 

Edith smiled with pleasure at Zan’s commendation 
and stepped before the Guide to make the old-fash- 
ioned curtsey so pretty and desirable for children 
to use. Then, she made a second bow to the older 
girls and stepped back to make place for the other 
Brownies. 

“Here is Betty Eullerton, Miss Miller, and Tammy, 
her little brother who is just half-past-three!” con- 


26 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


eluded Zan, holding each child by the hand as she pre- 
sented them to the assemblage. 

‘'You all know Paul Alvord and Dot Hubert, so 
they won’t have to be introduced again. The Brownies 
all became well acquainted on the walk over here, Jane 
tells me, so now, I think, we can continue our plans,” 
added Miss Miller, when Zan turned to be seated. 

The Guide then took up the paper that was first 
on the desk, and glanced at it, then looked at Zan. 

“Zan, I’d like a few moments’ talk with you about 
this programme. Girls, while we are engaged, 
wouldn’t it be nice to get acquainted with all of the 
little Brownies?” 

Zan immediately jumped up and ran over to the 
desk. 

“Zan, I looked Over your programme for the Lit- 
tle Lodge just before you came in, this afternoon, 
and I must say that I fear your zeal in Woodcraft 
work has made you overlook the fact that these 
children imagine all of this is supposed to be fun 
and play. If you start in with such strenuous plans 
as you outlined here, they will lose interest in a very 
short time.” 

The Guide hesitated to see what Zan thought of her 
suggestion but the girl was thinking seriously over 
the wise criticism of her programme. 

“You see, Zan, these children have lessons to study, 
and if you give them on the first day such things to 
do as to find out about the birds, flowers, insects, or 
other Nature studies, they will fancy it is study and 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


27 


not play! Then, when the interested mothers ask, 
‘Well, dear, what did you play in Camp to-day?’ and 
the child replies, ‘Oh, we learned all about the stars, 
the animals, the flowers and how to sew or paint,^ 
the parent will think we are cramming the child with 
knowledge instead of outdoor fun.” 

Zan admitted the wisdom of Miss Miller’s words 
and said, “What would you suggest? Suppose you 
take this up and attend to it as you think best.” 

“Don’t think that I am finding fault with your 
outline — far from it! I think it is admirable to fol- 
low later, after the Brownies are accustomed to Wood- 
craft. (But for the very start, I would temper the 
plan with more play or recreation ideas.” 

“You are right. Miss Miller, as you generally are. 
Go on and begin in any way you think best.” 

“Well, I want them to become so devoted to Wood- 
craft that they will gradually become as young trees : 
all curves and crookedness inherited from fore-bears, 
straightened out so that the strength and firmness of a 
sound character will sustain them through all their 
lives.” 

Zan listened to the serious words and felt the ear- 
nest desire of the teacher to help these little ones, and 
the girl silently abetted the intentions. Then she 
turned to the group. 

“Woodcrafters ! Big Lodge and Little! Shall we 
start in on our meeting? Miss Miller is ready!” 

The eager expectant faces attested readiness, and 
some of the experienced members cried “How !” 


28 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


“Well, we will arrange our Council Ring in the 
centre of the room. Will some of you girls assist 
me in carrying the seats from the closet?” requested 
the Guide, going over to the large closet reserved 
for storing varied equipment in the gymnasium. 

A number of low seats were taken out and carried 
over to the circle chalked out by Billy. The imitation 
log-fire was then constructed in the middle of the 
Ring. At one side of the Ring stood a large chair 
covered with a fur robe; this was supposed to be 
the throne of the Chief. Opposite the throne stood 
the totem-pole of the Tribe with their emblem and 
various achievements painted on it. At one side of 
the Chief’s throne was a seat for the Tally-Keeper. 

When everything was in order, Zan went over to 
the throne and called, 

“Heetah Kolah nahoonpo omneechee-yay nee- 
chopi !” 

A smile crept over most of the little faces watch- 
ing the Chief glibly rattle off the Indian words. But 
the girls of the Big Lodge replied “How,” and di- 
rected the Brownies to seats. 

When all were placed, Zan said, “Will Hilda make 
the fire?” 

To the delight of the Little Lodge members, Hilda 
then proceeded to open Council by making fire with 
nothing more than a handful of dry wild-wood ma- 
terial and the rubbing sticks. The latter were two 
sticks and two small bits of wood. A leather string 
was tied to one stick to make a sort of a bow of it. 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


29 

and the other stick was used as the rubber. One bit 
of wood was used for the fire-pan and the other bit 
was notched. The rubber was stuck in the notch and 
the leather string twisted once about the rubber. Then 
Hilda sawed back and forth as if she were playing 
upon a violin. 

As the rubbing stick kept grinding into the notch, 
the friction caused heat and this heat made smoke. 
In a short time, a minute spark of red was seen, and 
instantly, the girls cried “How!” 

Hilda rubbed until another spark came from the 
tiny heap of powder in the pan, then she blew softly 
upon it until it was seen to smoke continuously. By 
holding a handful of the dried tinder to the powder, 
she soon had it smoking bravely. The wild-wood 
tinder was then placed in a little pottery bowl and 
set upon the floor by the log-fire that the smoke might 
go upwards for a symbol to the Great Spirit of all. 

Hilda returned to her seat and Zan waited a mo- 
ment while the spiral fragrant smoke rose silently from 
the fire. Then she announced, “We will all sing the 
Omaha Tribal Prayer.” 

The entire congregation stood while singing: 

“Wa-kon-da dhe-dhu Wa-pa dhin a-ton-he. 

Wa-kon-da dhe-dhu Wa-pa-dhin a-ton-he.” 

As the last sound of the song died away, Zan said, 
“For those Brownies who have never heard this song 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


30 

before, I will translate the Indian words : ‘Father, a 
needy one stands before thee ; I that sing am he/ ’’ 

The members all reseated themselves but Paul Al- 
vord was inclined to think the whole proceeding a 
huge joke, so he nudged Billy and giggled annoy- 
ingly. 

Billy saw that Paul had the wrong impression of 
the meeting and frowned reprovingly at him while 
he silently shook his head to indicate to Paul that 
he must not consider this a time for a frolic or a 
joke. 

Paul seemed ill at ease and looked about at the 
others to ascertain if they were as earnest as Billy 
seemed to be. He saw interested intent faces all 
watching Zan, so he decided to watch too. 

After calling the roll and hearing the report of 
the Tally Chief, the Wampum Keeper reported on 
the expenses and present condition of the Wampum. 

Then the business of taking in the Little Lodge 
was attended to. The names and ages of the Brownies 
were entered in the Roll and Zan said they were now 
ready to have the Brownies prove their right to mem- 
bership. 

At this stage of the proceedings, Billy stood up 
and raised his hand above his head as a token of 
salute, then said, “Oh, Chief 

Billy had taken part with his sister and brother in 
Councils and other Woodcraft ways at home, so he 
was well versed in the courtesies of the Council Ring. 

Zan smiled and bowed at him; so, given permis- 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


31 


sion to state his business as long as it was in con- 
nection with Council matters, he spoke. 

“Oh, Chief ! I want to say that I have an honour- 
able Indian name won by rights of my honours and 
coups given according to the Manual of Woodcraft 
Indians. May I use that name on the Birch Bark 
Roll?’^ 

“Why, Billy! You have more than we can claim!” 
cried Zan, amazed. 

“I should think so! Billy, you must be a zealous 
little worker to have won a name for yourself,” added 
the Guide. 

“What is it, Billy?” asked Jane, curiously, for it 
was no small honour in Woodcraft to be able to 
claim an Indian Name. 

“It is Shingebis, meaning ‘Diver,’ ” replied Billy, 
composedly, for he was never phased by flattery or 
flustered by criticism, but continued his allotted work 
and play in an even tenor, doing his best in every- 
thing that seemed his duty to accomplish. 

“I should like to hear how Billy won that honour,” 
suggested Hilda. 

“Elena, just make a note of that suggestion in our 
Tally-book, will you? Some day we will call upon 
Billy to give us the details of how he won that name,” 
said Miss Miller. 

So Billy was entered on the Birch Bark Roll as 
Shingebis, and a note made as the Guide suggested. 

The Big Lodge then explained to the Brownies all 
about taking the tests for initiation, and this under- 


32 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


stood, they all repeated in unison the Laws of the 
Little Lodge. 

'T will obey my parents or whomsoever they set 
over me. 

‘T will be kind to animals. 

‘T will not play with fire or matches. 

‘T will help whenever I can.” 

The Brownies had learned these Laws by heart and 
now the Little Lodge members repeated them as if 
their whole lives depended upon the emphasis given 
every other word. The Guide could not help smiling 
at the vim displayed in their tones, but Zan was about 
to speak so she managed to appear serious. 

‘‘Brownies, from now until we meet again, you 
must try to take one of these initiations : each one of 
you may choose the one you think you can carry out. 
Now, these are they : 

“Keep your temper all one day. 

“Keep silence for one hour among your playmates. 

“Keep a straight face for half an hour. 

“Take last place in all pleasant things for one day. 
At some future meeting, you will all bring in your 
reports on what has been done with these, and those 
that are passed should be signed by some one who 
has witnessed them satisfactorily, or you must bring 
your witness with you. Every Brownie who has such 
a signed paper at our next Council, or brings the wit- 
ness to meeting, becomes a Wood-Brownie. That is 
the lowest rank and belongs to a newly-entered 
Brownie. You are privileged to gather the wood for 


STARTING THE LITTLE LODGE 


33 

our camp-fires and to help the members of the Big 
Lodge in ways they may think best for you/' 

Zan glanced over the memorandum and read there- 
from : “When you have won five honours as listed and 
have been a member for at least a month, with a good 
record in keeping the Laws of the Tribe to which you 
are attached, you may win the rank of Water-Brownie. 
It is next higher than Wood-Brownie, and you are 
then permitted to supply the water of the camp. But 
you must be seven years or more before you can claim 
that rank. 

“The third rank is Fire-Brownie. A Fire^Brownie 
alone is permitted to poke at or add fuel to the fire, 
and then only in the presence of or by order of the 
Guide. You must be nine years or over before you can 
be a Fire-Brownie. Besides being of age, you must 
have won an honour for each year of your age, must 
have been a Water-Brownie for at least a month, 
must have brought in a new member, and have a good 
record in keeping the Laws of the Tribe." 

Zan looked about the circle to see if there were any 
comments, and as there were none, and there being 
no more official business. Miss Miller suggested that 
Billy entertain them with one of his solo dances, in 
which he was an adept. 

Instantly Billy stood up and gave the sign. 

“Oh, Chief! I have a spear and a shield at home 
for which I won honours. I made them all alone 
and painted and carved the symbols of the story on 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


34 

them. I wish I had them here to use in dancing 
the Lone Scout dance !” 

‘TsnT it possible to demonstrate the dance without 
your beautiful accessories?” asked Miss Miller, ea- 
gerly. 

“Let’s give him the window-pole and a straw seat !” 
suggested Jane. 

Billy dearly loved to dance Folk Dances and do 
the Indian steps and figures, so he took the articles 
Jane brought him and entertained the audience greatly 
with his dancing. 

Nita showed the Brownies what the Storm Cloud 
Dance was like, and then the five big girls, with Billy 
and Edith and the Guide tried the Scalp Dance. 

The members of the Little Lodge laughed gleefully 
when the Big Squaws talked to them in silent Indian 
sign language, or pretended to go on the war-path, 
doing their best to catch the Brownies. 

• Finally, when Teddy and Tammy had been cap- 
tured by some hostile Indians, a War Council was 
held to determine what should be done with the ene- 
mies. The Brownies became very eager to assist in 
scalping the two youngest members of the Tribe, but 
Miss Miller laughingly suggested that that part of . 
the Council be deferred until another day. 

To the amusement of every one present, Teddy 
signified his approval of the Guide’s motion, by cry- 
ing out “Howl” 

And Tammy, when he heard the laugh, echoed the 
“How!” 


CHAPTER TWO 


A WEEK OF WORK 

T he seven children started on an equal footing 
as Wood Brownies, even Billy and Edith, who 
had had so much experience in Woodcraft through 
watching and assisting the older members of their 
family. Of course, these two Brownies aspired to 
win the rank of Water Brownie as soon as the month’s 
test should have expired. The younger members of 
the Band took Billy and Edith as models in the 
pursuit of honours and soon felt the zeal and pleas- 
ure in the work, that Zan and Miss Miller had hoped 
for. 

During the week following the formation of the 
Little Lodge, the Brownies met every afternoon after 
school at the house of one or another of - the big 
girls. The time was spent in trying to do well one 
particular pursuit: Hence, one day it was dancing, 
another singing folk songs, still another, story-telling, 
and one rainy day they all met to make home-made 
candy. 

On Wednesday, just before the Council broke up. 
Miss Miller came in. She had pleasant news as every 
35 


36 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

one could see from her smile, so she was instantly 
given the seat of honour. 

Having been treated to some of the taffy just made, 
she made known the purpose of her call. 

‘TVe been thinking how enjoyable it would be if 
we spent Saturday in the woods. It is quite warm, 
you know, and the season is well advanced for May, 
so we might have a May Party.’^ 

‘^Oh, goody ! goody ! That will be great fun !” ea- 
gerly cried Edith, for she loved the freedom of the 
woods. 

‘^Can you go with us. Miss Miller?’' asked Nita, who 
had become a devoted follower of the Guide’s since 
her experience in Wickeecheokee Camp the last sum- 
mer. 

'T certainly shall. Had it been otherwise, I fear 
I would not have suggested the plan for this Satur- 
day,” laughed Miss Miller. 

‘T think it will be splendid!” said Zan, and most 
of the girls agreed with her. 

“Please, O Chief, may I say something?” asked 
Edith. 

“Yes, and we know in advance that it is some- 
thing fine!” returned the Guide, smiling at Edith. 

Edith smiled back and spoke. “Betty Fullerton has 
a birthday soon. Can’t we give her a party for her 
birthday?” 

Betty, who was a quiet little mouse, clasped her 
hands in anticipation. Then she sent Edith a look 
of admiration for the brilliant idea, for Betty thought 


A WEEK OF WORK 


37 

her cousins were wonderful beings who could do any- 
thing in the world. 

“Oh, how fortunate we are to have Betty with a 
birthday just when we need one! Would you like 
us to celebrate it with a May Party, Betty?'’ asked 
Miss Miller. 

“O — ooh! I just guess I would, thank you!" said 
Betty, flushing with embarrassment as so many eager 
eyes were turned towards her. 

“And when is the day, Betty dear?" asked Zan. 

“Sunday, please!" 

The Brownies expressed their wishes very plainly 
and the Guide soon put an end to all suspense by say- 
ing, “We surely will have a birthday party in the 
woods if Edith and Billy will tell us how to do it!" 

“Oh, Chief!" cried Edith, on her feet before Billy 
had time to think of something to say, “I know all 
about it! At Wabanaki School in Greenwich, where 
my cousins attend, they had a birthday party and I 
was invited. We all made and gave gifts that were 
hung on a tree. We made the gifts, too, and wrapped 
each one in paper and tied them with ribbons. Then 
a name was written on it, and after we had danced 
and sung, we were told to hunt for a package that 
had our name on it. Of course Teddy couldn't read 
so we had to help him." 

“I think that will be just the thing for Betty's 
party, too. Will we have time to make any gifts 
between now and Friday night?" Miss Miller turned 
to inquire of the big girls. 


38 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

‘Tf the Brownies will speak to their mothers to- 
night and start something at home, we can all meet to- 
morrow and continue working on the presents and 
try to complete them Friday afternoon,” replied Zan. 

^'We can do it, easy enough, for the trees are there 
to hang the gifts on !” said Billy, emphatically. 

"'Billy’s right! With woods full of trees why 
shouldn’t we use them? The making of the presents 
is a very small consideration when one stops to think 
of the time it took to make the trees!”- said Zan, a 
twinkle showing in her eyes as she turned to place 
the Tally Book in the closet. 

Billy was not quite sure whether that was said in 
all earnestness or whether Zan was laughing. But 
Hilda interrupted any thoughts along that line, by 
suggesting something different. 

"While we are out in the woods, why can’t we try 
to win some honours. Brownies?” 

"We can! There are many things we can do. For 
instance, there will be birds, and flowers, and forest 
trees, and fern — oh, lots of things we can do!” As 
Zan spoke her voice was so earnest that Billy felt 
relieved on the score of her laughing at him. 

"Zan, suppose we take our blue-print frames along 
and let the Brownies use them for some fern or flower 
blue-prints?” ventured Jane. 

"What do you think of that idea. Miss Miller — 
will we have enough time to do it?” asked Zan. 

"We’ll have all day if we get started as early as 
I should like — and not select a spot too far away!” 


A WEEK OF WORK 


39 

“You’re all so funny! Here are we saying what 
we will do all day and no one has thought of a place 
to go to!” 

Nita’s musical laugh rippled out as she spoke but Zan 
looked earnestly at the Guide and said, “I was go- 
ing to mention the Crest up on Orange Mountains. It 
is wild and beautiful and quite easy to reach. If Jane 
can get her automobile for the trip I will try to bor- 
row ours too, so that we ought to be able to get 
there in half an hour from here. What time can we 
start?” 

“That depends on the cars and the guests !” laughed 
Miss Miller. 

“You can have our machine any time, I guess,” of- 
fered Jane. 

“And Dad never uses ours until his office hours 
are over — that will be ten o’clock. It can be back home 
before then,” explained Zan. 

“Suppose, we say that we will leave here at eight- 
thirty Saturday morning? Will you children see if 
there is any reason why you could not meet us here 
at that time?” As she spoke Miss Miller looked 
at the expectant faces of the Brownies who were 
quite sure then and there that they could be at the 
house at dawn, if the Guide would say so. 

Having decided to leave the city early Saturday 
morning for the May Party to be given in honour 
of Betty’s birthday, each child was reminded to be 
sure and make a gift to hang upon the tree in the 
woods. 


40 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


The novel plan to have a gift-tree was so enchant- 
ing to the Brownies that Wednesday evening proved 
to be a very busy one for the mothers who had these 
Brownies to besiege them for ‘‘something” to make 
into presents for the gift-tree on Saturday. Hence, 
the gifts were varied as to material and ideas, most 
of them tracing their origin to the fact that certain 
odds and ends happened to be handy. 

The moment the children met at Elena’s home on 
Thursday afternoon, they began talking eagerly of 
what they were going to make. Jane, however, warned 
them that it would be more fun if their gifts were 
kept a secret from the others. This appealed to them, 
so each one sought a corner or separate room where 
he or she could work without being seen by the other 
Brownies. 

Dot had decided to make a picture for her receiver 
to frame and hang up in the room. So she began to 
draw her favourite animal, the bunny. Elena watched 
her start the sketch and wondered what it would look 
like when finished. 

Finally, Elena thought she would correct her. 
“You’re only making a round circle, dearie.” 

“That’s my bunny’s head — next I make his body,” 
replied Dot, bending over the paper and pushing hard 
upon the blunt pencil. 

Elena watched her arduous task and saw Dot draw 
another circle, larger than the first one, for the body. 
This done, she held it at arm’s length and sighed con- 
tentedly as she admired her work. 


A WEEK OF WORK 


41 


“Isn’t it grand?” said she, turning to Elena. 

“Is it completed?” sparred Elena, not wishing to 
commit herself. 

“Oh, no! I’ve got to make lots more rings be- 
fore it’s all ready!” 

Elena had no idea of the system Dot had in work- 
ing out the different stages before she produced a 
fat, lively-looking bunny, but she was willing to be 
shown. 

Dot resumed her interesting work and Elena went 
to inspect some other work. When she came back 
to Dot half an hour later, she found the picture all 
ready and waiting to be coloured with crayons. 

“Oh, that really is clever. Dot!” cried Elena. 

“ ’Course it is ! I can make cats and dogs and birds 
and anything just like this!” 

Edith had foraged for herself in the cupboard at 
home which was reserved for Woodcraft materials. 
Here she found some small pieces of leather that 
had been left over after cutting out Elizabeth’s cere- 
monial costume. These pieces, with a few strips of 
thong and a handful of coloured beads, gave the in- 
ventive child an idea for a gift. 

When she explained her purpose she obtained per- 
mission to use the findings. “It’s just what I need 
to make a fine Indian present. I’ll paint something 
Indiany on the front and trim it with beads,” said 
she. 

So, that Thursday afternoon, Edith concentrated 


42 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


her mind upon the work, planning carefuly how to 
make it before cutting into the leather. 

First, she cut out a paper pattern, and then she 
cut out pieces of paste-board like the picture shown 
here. 




Whisk Broom Patterns 


Then, she punched holes in the edges where she 
wanted to tie the pieces together with the strips of 
leather thong. 

This finished, she pasted the back of the leather 
pieces, which had been cut out 'to fit the card-board 
pieces, with thin glue. She then carefully fitted the 
leather to the paste-board pieces and pressed them 
firmly and smoothly together. 

When they were dry she punched holes in the 
leather just where the corresponding holes in the card- 
board were. 

Her next plan had been to paint a picture on the 
front of the leather. So, she had coaxed her sister 
to cut out a stencil for her. Elizabeth, accordingly, 
had cut out the form of a bear which was supposed 
to be painted in black. 


A WEEK OF WORK 


43 

Edith placed this stencil on the larger section of 
leather and looked through her Woodcraft work-bag 
for the tiny box of colours she had brought with her. 
A small cake of black was well moistened and then 
she filled a cameFs-hair brush with the colour. 

The brush was dabbed upon the leather but it 
seemed not to leave any result, such as the artist 
looked for. 

Again she filled the brush and tried to paint a good 
black bear, but the water rolled up in a tiny globule 
and refused to stay put where the painter had in- 
tended it to be. 

Edith sat and frowned at the problem when along 
came Zan. 

‘‘What’s the trouble, Edith?” 

“Why, this old paint won’t paint!” cried Edith. 

Zan laughed, but stopped to see what was the cause 
of the perplexity. She was surprised to see the neat 
work already done by the Brownie, without other 
help than that experience gleaned from watching her 
mother and sister do similar work at home. 

“Have you tried oil paints, Edith?” asked Zan. 

“No, I haven’t any — not yet! But I must paint 
this bear or it won’t be Woodcraft, at all! A whisk 
broom holder isn’t likely to be used by the Indians, 
anyway, but the leather and beads, and most of all the 
bear symbol, will make it look like something a Wako 
Tribe member coidd use!” explained Edith, disparag- 
ing the use of anything that was not Indian. 

Zan laughed understandingly. “I have a box of 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


44 

oil paints and a stiff brush that you can use. Til run 
upstairs and look for them.” 

‘"Oh, if you would!” sighed Edith, leaning back 
in her chair with a great sense of relief at having 
the problem solved. 

Zan soon returned with a black japanned box that 
she placed upon the table. Opening the lid, she found 
a metal tube of blue black paint in the row of little 
tubes that were labelled and arranged according to the 
colours mostly used. Edith looked at the box covet- 
ously and sighed again. 

“Now what?” laughed Zan, while unscrewing the 
little top of the tube. 

“Oh, you’ve got just the kind of a box I want 
mother to buy for me. If this bear turns out good 
can’t you tell her how much I need some paints,” 
ventured Edith, looking at Zan anxiously. 

“Tell the bear you need the paints? Why, I never 
see any bears!” teased Zan. 

“Oh, you know what I mean!” But Edith forgot 
to explain more fully for Zan squeezed the tube and 
a queer little curl of black paint squirmed out of the 
opening. 

“Ho! just like tooth-paste, isn’t it?” said Edith. 

“But hardly the same colour and ingredients!” 
added Zan. 

“No, I guess not! Wouldn’t your teeth look funny 
if you used that tube by mistake, some night in the 
dark bath-room?” said Edith, looking speculatively at 
Zan’s even white teeth. 


A WEEK OF WORK 


45 

“Fm afraid the flavour would be funnier than 
the looks!” declared Zan. 

Edith laughed at the idea and Zan mixed the paint 
on a palette, then told the Brownie it was ready to 
use. 

Paint-box and teeth were forgotten then, and the 
little girl applied herself to decorating the leather. 

‘‘You know this oil paint won^t dry as rapidly as 
the water-colours, don’t you, Edith?” remarked Zan, 
as she watched the Brownie dab on a brush-full of 
paint. 

“Yes, I know, and I won’t use much of it — only 
enough to cover the leather place with black,” replied 
Edith, holding down the stencil firmly with one hand. 

“That’s right. I see you have made the most of 
what you have seen others do. Now, when you have 
completed the bear, I will take the piece and hang it 
up back of the kitchen range where the heat will dry 
it quickly,” offered Zan, before leaving the busy artist. 

The black bear did not dry in time for Edith to 
finish the brush-holder that day, but it was quite ready 
to be trimmed when she examined the piece of leather 
on Friday afternoon. She tied the two pieces — front 
and back — together with leather strips, using large 
gay-coloured beads at each hole for stoppers. Last 
of all, she tied a hanger of leather at the top of 
the back-piece, with a large bead at each side and at 
the top. Then the gift was done. 

The Brownie carried it eagerly about to show the 


46 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

big girls and they duly admired the handicraft of the 
little girl. 

*T think it really is wonderful, don't you?" asked 
Nita. 

‘'Yes, and it is simple enough to have any of the 
little ones try it, some day," added Elena. 

“Suppose, I just make a pattern of the case for 
use some other time — the youngest Brownies need 
not have the black bear, you know, for they will 
smudge everything with the oil paints," suggested 
Zan. 

“Better let me make a sketch then, omitting the 
bear. If they once lay eyes on that bear you won’t 
get them to make a holder without it !" laughed Elena. 

So the artist of the Tribe hastily sketched a holder 
such as Edith had made, but eliminated the bear. 
While she was doing this, Zan wrote out the direc- 
tions as Edith dictated them. These were given to 
Elena to paste in the Tally Book for future refer- 
ence. 

Betty had attempted several gifts but each one 
had proved to be too difficult for a little girl to make, 
and she was growing discouraged when Edith passed 
by her after leaving the broom holder with Miss 
Miller to be wrapped up for the tree. 

“What’s the matter, Betty?" questioned Edith. 

“I can’t make anything! I’ve tried and tried and 
tried! But nothin’ turns out right!” wailed Betty, 
disconsolately. 


A WEEK OF WORK 


47 

‘^Maybe I can think of something,” suggested Edith, 
kneeling upon the floor by Betty's side. 

Suddenly, she looked up and smiled at Betty, whis- 
pering '‘I know just the thing! Eve got some pieces 
left from my gift!” 



Betty cheered up instantly while Edith ran over 
to sort out the pieces of card-board left over from 
her own work. 

“Here, now, Betty; Fll draw the lines and you 
cut out this paste-board just on the lines. It's going 
to be a catch-all for some one. You can tie the 


48 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

places where the holes will be punched with some 
little strings of my leather pieces, and a bead at each 
hole will look real nice !” explained Edith, generously. 

“Oh, that will be bee-a-utiful! Can I do it, do you 
think, Edie?’' questioned Betty, eagerly. 

“Sure! If you need help just ask Elena or Zan 
to show you. Em going out, now!” And Edith left 
the little girl working enthusiastically over the catch- 
all. 

Miss Miller had been quietly watching the two 
Brownies, and after Edith left Betty, the Guide turned 
to Zan and said, “I wonder if Edith knows she was 
fulfilling one of the Laws when she helped Betty?” 

Betty needed advice now and then but she finally 
had the catch-all completed and was greatly pleased 
with it. 

“Elena, I think Betty’s gift is suitable for a lesson 
for the other Brownies to do some day; so, if you 
will sketch the horn as it is rhade here, Zan can write 
a set of directions to be pasted in the Little Lodge 
Tally Book,” suggested Miss Miller. 

“I’ll make the square as Betty first had, holes and 
all just where they are supposed to be, then I’ll make 
the catch-all finished” ; and Elena hurriedly made the 
two sketches shown here. 

Jane Hubert had undertaken to assist Paul on the 
Thursday afternoon, but Paul lacked ambition when 
thought or work was needed to do anything, and he 
chose a gift that could be eaten by the recipient after 
it had been sufficiently admired. 


A WEEK OF WORK 


49 

Hilda had shown him how to make peanut toys 
one evening at home, so he decided to make some of 
these toys for his gift. From the moment he began 
work, Jane could not but remark how awkward he 
was with pencil and scissors, in comparison to Billy 
and Edith, who were about Paul's age, but had had the 
advantage of Woodcraft teaching at home. 

Jane helped her charge in selecting a tiny peanut 



for the little chick, a long peanut for the rooster and 
a fat nut for the hen — for Paul said he intended mak- 
ing some chickens. 

A few feathers were plucked from a feather duster, 
and Paul took the ones he thought best fitted for 
the tails and wings. 

After he had pasted the wings and tails where they 
belonged, he took some tooth-picks and cut them into 
short lengths for legs, using the points to thrust into 
the peanuts. He also made a short bill for each 
chicken of the sharp ends of the pick. Next, he cut 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


50 

out some thick paste-board disks about as large as 
a nickel, and glued the wooden legs into the small 
holes he had made in the disks. 

When they were dry the three chickens looked 
very cute and Jane thought Miss Miller ought to see 
them. Accordingly, the Guide was brought over to 
Paul’s table to judge the work. 

‘T think Paul has succeeded very well, indeed! If 



The Peanut Chickens 


he can make other things, as he says he can, suppose 
we copy this idea and keep it in the Tally Book with 
the other original ideas 1” suggested Miss Miller, after 
having examined the manner in which Paul had done 
the work. 

Elena was called to make a sketch of the chickens 
and Jane offered to write out the directions as she had 
seen Paul do the toys. These, when ready, were 
pasted in the Little Lodge Tally. 

When Billy appeared at the house where the 
Brownies were to work that Thursday afternoon, he 


A WEEK OF WORK 


51 

told Miss Miller that he preferred keeping his gift 
a secret until it was completed. So, he was allowed 
to lock himself in a room on the top floor where no 
one disturbed him. 

Miss Miller accompanied him to his self-chosen exile 
from the others, and he said, in a condescending tone, 
“If you want to see what I am making you may come 
up once in a time to watch me.” 

“I feel so certain that it is something unusual that 
I will be pleased to avail myself of your invitation, 
Billy. If, however, you think I had better not dis- 
turb you, I can wait until Saturday, as well as the 
others will have to do.” 

“No — o, I guess you won't bother me — ^not after 
to-morrow! Don’t come in to-day, please,” rejoined 
Billy, thoughtfully. 

So, the Guide left him, with a smile on her face, 
for she was pleased at the way all of the Brownies 
were interesting themselves in the May Party. 

Friday, after every one was working on the various 
gifts. Miss Miller started for the top floor intending 
to visit Billy and see his work. 

He had completed enough of it to show the Guide 
what it was. He still needed some nails and glue, 
to fasten on the feeding trough and bath — for it was 
to be a very complete bird-house. 

“Oh, I think that is splendid, Billy! It will surely 
win an honour, for no bird can resist keeping house 
here. The cute little piazza makes very good roosts 
and the troughs are so practical. I am amazed that 


52 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

you could have made it!’’ commended Miss Miller. 

“I’ve made some at home, but never tried such a 
fancy one as this. My brother made one, and I 
watched him, so I knew just how to do it,” said Billy, 
sheepishly, for he cared nothing for flattery and just 
praise always embarrassed him. 

Miss Miller realised at once that he was made un- 
comfortable by her words, so she quickly changed 



The Bird-House 

the subject and soon after left him to complete the 
house. 

As she went out of the room door she turned and 
said, “If you can, Billy, I wish you would make 
us a little drawing of the bird-house when com- 
pleted ; we are making a number of sketches to paste 
in the Tally Book of the Little Lodge, for future 
reference. This model is so good, I would like the 
other Brownies to try and make some later on.” 


A WEEK OF WORK 


53 

*‘AI1 right, I will, as soon as I’m through,” replied 
Billy, cheerfully. 

1 Before going down-stairs with his gift, Billy made 
a very good drawing of the bird-house, showing the 
doors, piazza, bath and feeding trough. 

Teddy and Tammy had wandered about Thursday 
afternoon dissatisfied with the gifts their mothers 
had chosen for them to make. Teddy disliked sawing, 
and his mother had given him a piece of leather to 
trim with beads for a pen-wiper. 

Tammy’s mother thought he was too young to make 
any thing very much, so she gave him a piece of blot- 
ting paper and a fancy-illuminated card so he could 
tie one to the other for desk use. But Tammy scoffed 
at such a gift when every one was making elaborate 
presents. 

Miss Miller found the two little boys pouting over 
their work, so she asked each one, ‘What can you 
make?” 

“Teddy likes to mek boats, an’ pikshers, an’ lots 
of big fings — not dis !” replied the scornful little man. 

“Oh, but I would be glad to get a pen-wiper made 
all by you !” exclaimed the Guide, hoping to reinstate 
the despised pen-wiper. 

Teddy glanced pitifully at the teacher but said noth- 
ing. 

“What can Tammy make?” asked Miss Miller, turn- 
ing to the youngest W’oodcrafter in the Tribe. 

“Tammy tan’t mek nuffin! Teddy alius shows 
Tammy how to mek fings!” hastily interrupted Teddy, 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


54 

fearing Tammy might win some undeserved fame. 

‘‘Tammy tan mek pikshers, too!” retorted Tammy, 
an angry gleam darting from his generally mild 
eyes. 

“Oh, Miss Miller, suppose I show the Brownies 
how to make some pictures 1” exclaimed Zan, coming 
over at this moment. 

“Ess, Teddy likes to mek pikshers all black like 
Edif is doin’!” cried Teddy, excitedly. 

This caused a general laugh, for the big girls knew 
how tempting black paint and a brush must be for 
little Brownies. 

“I know just the kind of black paint pictures for 
you both to make. Shall we?” said Zan, trying to 
keep a serious face. 

“Ess! Wif weel paint dat Edif’s usin’!” shouted 
Teddy, running over to the corner where his sister 
had hitherto been working unmolested. 

“Stop pulling at my arm, Teddy! This is oil- 
paint and you can’t have it!” cried Exlith, looking 
anxiously at Zan for a rescue. 

“Oh, Teddy! You and Tammy must come up- 
stairs with me if we are to make those black pic- 
tures!” advised Zan, taking hold of Tammy’s hand, 
wisely judging that Teddy would rush after her, rather 
than be left behind. 

Nita ran after Zan and asked to be included in the 
party, so all four of the Woodcrafters went to Zan’s 
little den. The Brownies were lifted up to sit on 
chairs while Zan went for a sewing-table. This was 


A WEEK OF WORK 


55 

placed between them, and then some paper and ink 
was brought from the desk. 

‘‘Now, ril tell you how to make the pictures. When 
you finish one, we will sit and write some poetry 
to tell all about it, shall we?’’ 

So saying, Zan took a sheet of paper and folded 
it in half, showing Nita how to do likewise for 
Tammy. 

“This folded, I open the sheet again and drop a 
big fat glob of ink on one side — like this!” 

Zan demonstrated her description and Nita fol- 
lowed her example. 

“I’ll now fold back the other half of the paper 
and press down carefully upon it. You must be 
careful not to move your hand while pressing down, 
or the picture will smudge. Now, when I open the 
paper again, see what I have made!” said Zan. 

The paper had a fantastic shape printed upon it, 
and both little boys sat studying them intently. 

“What do you think they look like?” asked Nita. 

“Noffin much!” said Teddy, bluntly, making both 
girls laugh heartily. 

“Oh, I think it looks just like a little black bear 
with two feet on the ground while he is holding 
something in his other fore-paw. See, there is his 
head, and there’s his tail!” explained Zan, point- 
ing at the features of the picture. 

Teddy stared hard at the ink picture while Tammy 
stared at Teddy, for it all depended upon Teddy, 
whether the picture should be approved or not. What- 


56 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

ever Teddy said or did was right in Tammy’s eyes, 
for Teddy was his hero. 

‘‘Lemme try to mek one!” said Teddy, with finality, 
helping himself to paper and ink. 

'‘Oh, you mustn’t use so much ink! Shake off 
some of that you dipped up. Just one big drop is 
enough,” advised Zan, while Nita hurriedly took the 
pen to remove some of the ink. 

To his intense delight, Teddy dropped some ink 
on the sheet and, with Zan’s assistance, made a black 
picture that he said was an Indian with his feather 
head-dress. Nita agreed with him but Zan would 
not commit herself. 

“Now tell the story!” demanded Teddy, not for- 
getting the promise to make poetry about his pic- 
tures. 

“Tammy wan’s to mek one, too!” wailed Tammy, 
fearful lest he be defrauded of the fun. 

“Yes, yes, Teddy! We will help Tammy make a 
picture before we tell the story,” hastily agreed Zan. 

The two little boys were deeply interested there- 
after, in trying to produce a picture that could be 
recognised for an object that would inspire the story- 
tellers to write something. 

Finally, Teddy shouted wildly and waved his latest 
attempt about his head. 

“Dis is a weel live Injun! D’odder one iss onny 
make-b’lieve !” 

Nita and Zan looked at the ink blot and both of 


A WEEK OF WORK 


57 

the girls admitted that it resembled a figure. So Nita 
wrote the jingle to go with the Indian. 

“This Inkawink said, Tis a shame 
To make such an ambitious claim, 

And to say that I’m real 
When really I feel 
That Tm nothing at all but a name.” 



The Inkawink Indians 


“That’s good, Nita!” exclaimed Zan, laughing at 
the appropriate verse. 

“Ess,” approved Teddy while Tammy nodded his 
head as soon as he found his idol and accepted the 
jingle. So the verse was pasted under the ink pic- 
ture for Teddy to give away. 

Tammy felt that he could not claim a jingle for 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


58 

any of the blots he had smudged on the paper, but 
he persisted in making more hoping to find one that 
could be called a resemblance to something easily 
recognised. 

Teddy was in his element, so he kept on making 
ink blots until Tammy suddenly shouted: ‘Tee dis 
one !” 



The Inkawink Trees 


It was found to look more like two trees than any- 
thing else, but Tammy insisted that they were “In- 
juns.” After much persuasion, however, he was con- 
vinced that possibly they were trees. 

Then Zan made the jingle to go with the Inkawink. 

“And now, children dear, what are these ? 

Why, the> are the Inkawink trees ; 

Turning black in the Fall 
They become nothing at all. 

But they will come back, if you please.” 


A WEEK OF WORK 


59 

Teddy and Tammy listened astutely while the jingle 
was read to them, then Teddy cried, ‘‘Le’s wun down 
tairs an’ show ev’wybuddy !” 

‘'Oh, wait a moment, Teddy! We haven’t pasted 
the jingle on to Tammy’s picture!” remonstrated Zan, 
catching hold of the boy as he slid out of his chair. 

“Huwwy up, den! Teddy wan’s ev’wybuddy to tse 
dee Inkerwink Injun!” objected the young Wood- 
crafter, trying to tear away from Zan’s firm hold. 

Nita pasted the picture above the verse, and Zan 
turned to take Tammy’s hand while they descended 
the stairs. 

Teddy was in such haste, however, that he dropped 
his picture over the hand-rail and screamed hysteri- 
cally when he saw it flutter down to the lower hall- 
way. 


CHAPTER THREE 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 

^ I ''HE Brownies were up with the birds on Saturday 
morning and parents were anxiously urged to 
hurry and prepare breakfast lest the party leave the 
doctor’s house without them. 

Paul was so worried about being late that he de- 
cided to go without breakfast, but Hilda hid his hat 
and shoes so that he found he had better sit down 
in peace and eat his cereal. 

‘‘Oh, dear me, where’s my lunch-box?” cried Dot, 
as she started off at seven o’clock. 

“Just where I told you I placed it — on the hall 
chair!” laughed her mother, enjoying the excitement 
Dot manifested in the outdoor party. 

“Good-bye again, mother ! I’ll bring home a piece 
of cake for you,” cried Dot, having found the box 
and started off again. 

Billy and Edith seemed concerned lest Teddy would 
not be down on time. He had to wait until Anna 
finished her breakfast before his little jumpers were 
put on. Billy went to the foot of the stairway and 
called many, many times for Anna to hurry before 
Teddy was hurried down. 

6o 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 6i 

It will be a full hour too soon if you go to the 
doctor's house now !" remonstrated Anna, looking at 
the high clock standing in the front hall. 

‘‘No, it won’t neither!” retorted Edith, looking at 
her brother for defence. 

'Tt takes a long time to ride over there, Anna,” ob- 
jected Billy, pulling Teddy out to the verandah to 
see where the automobile could be. 

‘‘Dear me, where’s that Alfred?” cried Edith, im- 
patiently, seeing no sign of the car. 

“Your mother left orders for him to be here at 
quarter to eight. It only takes fifteen minutes to go 
over to the Baker house,” explained Anna, who was 
Mother’s Helper for the children. 

“I’m going to walk! It will be better than being 
late!” declared Edith. 

And perhaps all three would have attempted to walk 
from their home in the suburbs to the doctor’s house 
in the city, if Alfred had not been seen walking down 
the path that led to the garage. 

“Hurry up as fast as you can, Alfred ! We’re awful 
late!” shouted Billy, as he saw the tall figure disap- 
pear in the doorway of the garage. 

Some time before the hour mentioned, the Brownies 
were assembled at the doctor’s house, each wondering 
where the Big Lodge girls could be. Finally, however, 
all were accounted for, and Mrs. Baker came in to 
say that the two large touring cars were waiting. 

“Zan, did you see that the boxes and baskets were 


62 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


packed under the seats?’’ asked the Guide, anxiously. 

‘^Yes, and the other packages, too!” said Zan. 

The Brownies glanced curiously at the mysterious 
paper packages the Guide and Big Lodge girls car- 
ried, for it was quite evident from the ribbons that 
they must be gifts for the tree. 

When the last child left the house and climbed into 
an automobile, the doctor slammed the door and called 
to the chauffeur of the first car, ‘‘All ready!” 

“Oh, oh, dear doctor, wait! Please wait!” howled 
Dot, jumping up excitedly, and waving both arms. 

“What’s the matter?” cried a dozen voices anx- 
iously. 

“Oh, I left my present in the house ! Does any one 
know where I put it?” cried Dot, nervously. 

“I saw you putting a paper package under the hall- 
seat — maybe that was it,” suggested Elena. 

“Yes, that was it ! Let me get it !” 

“You sit still and I’ll run and get it for you,” offered 
Fiji Baker, laughing at the excitement. 

As soon as Fiji returned with the precious paper 
parcel. Dot hugged it to her breast and sat back with 
a sigh. 

The two automobiles started off on time, for every 
one had arrived at the house before the stated time 
for departure. 

When they reached the second ridge of the Orange 
Mountains, the members of Wako Tribe were told 
that they had to get out and walk the rest of the 
ascent, for the road was poor and the climb very steep. 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 63 

Boxes and baskets were taken out and every one stood 
waiting to wave hands at the automobiles as they 
went back down the mountain-side. 

‘'Well, Woodcrafters ! We have a long day before 
us. It is not yet nine o’clock and we have until five 
before the cars return for us,” announced Miss Miller. 

“Are we going to carry all of this stuff up the side 
of the mountain?” asked Nita, looking dubiously at 
the amount of lunch and other packages. 

“Just as you all say. If we can find a good spot 
near here, we can camp there,” replied Miss Miller. 

“Suppose we scout for a place. Every one start 
off in a different direction for about a hundred yards 
or so and hunt, and then come back and report,” sug- 
gested Zan. 

“Good ! I will remain and take care of the young- 
est ones and the packages,” offered the Guide. 

One after the other returned with no apparent re- 
sult from their search, then Zan came back saying 
that she had it. 

“A great flat rock projecting over the side of the 
mountain, where we can see far off over the val- 
ley!” 

“What about possibilities of accident?” ventured 
the Guide. 

“Um, well! it f.? a bit dangerous for tots,” admitted 
Zan, reluctantly. 

Then Edith trailed back. 

“I’ve found a spot where moss is thick on the 


64 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

ground and some trees will make a fine place to hang 
the gifts!” 

Before any reply could be given, however, Billy 
came back to the Tribe with a good report. 

‘T scouted and found a fresh spring of water com- 
ing out of the mountain-side. Some one has camped 
there before, for a stone fire-place is left as it was 
used, and some logs have been rolled over to a nice 
grassy place where we can eat. The logs will make 
good seats if we want to hold a Council.” 

“Any trees for the presents?” asked Zan. 

“All kinds, but best of all, there are two or three 
dandy pine trees nearest the clearing which we can 
play are our Christmas Trees,” said Billy, eagerly. 

“I think Billy ought to have an honour for finding 
such an admirable place,” said Miss Miller, as she 
picked up a basket. 

Camp was soon finished under the trees by the 
spring, and the food was carefully covered with pa- 
pers or napkins. 

“Now, shall we start for a hike over the mountain 
and hunt for honours by the way?” queried the Guide. 

“Lm awful hungry!” complained Paul, before any 
reply could be made to Miss Miller’s proposition. 

“Oh, impossible, Paul ! You ate just as much break- 
fast after I hid your shoes as ever you do !” declared 
Hilda. 

Every one laughed at Hilda’s disgusted expression 
and Paul’s plaintive look. 

“I don’t care, now! I am hungry, and I don’t be- 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 65 

lieve I can take a walk unless I have something to eat 
before I go,” whined Paul, glancing at Zan to see if 
she was impressed. 

“Paul, I know just the thing! Do you want to 
pass an initiation test right now?” cried Zan, eagerly. 

Paul, innocent of guile, assented instantly. 

“Then listen to me carefully. You must take last 
place in all pleasant things for this day!” Zan spoke 
slowly to permit Paul to understand exactly what she 
meant, but she found it difficult to keep a serious face 
when the boy suddenly realised her meaning. 

“Now’s your chance, Paul, come and win an hon- 
our !” encouraged Hilda. 

“But Pm hungry,” came from Paul, plaintively. 

“You’re not, and I know you’re not. You just 
want to eat a slice of Mrs. Baker’s chocolate cake! 
If you are so starved I’ll get you a cold potato to eat. 
That will stay your stomach until we get back from our 
walk,” retorted Hilda, angrily. 

The others laughed at Paul’s expression when Hilda 
mentioned a cold potato, but he scuffled his feet across 
the grass to Billy’s side. Billy had listened quietly 
to the discussion and was weighing the evidence. 

“Say, ain’t you hungry, too?” asked Paul, hoping 
to win an ally to the cause of his dispute, for Paul 
had seen the attention the Woodcraft girls paid to 
Billy, and he believed it was because of some influence 
which might work now for a slice of cake. 

“I am not — not a little bit ! But I was thinking of 


66 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


what you said. Maybe you are awfully hungry/’ ven- 
tured Billy. 

“Yes, I am; can’t you make them believe me?” 
eagerly replied Paul. 

“And I was trying to think of the medical name 
the doctors give to that disease when one always eats 
and is forever hungry and starved-looking. Maybe 
that’s what ails you, and no one ever found it out 
until just now. I think Paul ought to have a doctor 
operate to find what is the matter.” Billy spoke in 
all earnestness while every one laughed heartily. 

Paul was so mortified at the result of his asking 
for help from Billy, that he walked away and no 
one heard again of his starved condition. 

As they started for the hike, Miss Miller made a 
suggestion. “Everybody watch for something inter- 
esting and when we get back to camp, we can tell 
about it. To-night, at home, if the adventure is writ- 
ten up it will start us along the right line for hon- 
ours.” 

They had not gone more than a dozen steps before 
Teddy balked. “Teddy fought dere was doein’ to be 
a Trismas tree!” He stood looking longingly at the 
boxes containing the gifts. 

“So there is, dearie. But we all want to go for 
a nice walk to see the birdies keep house. Wouldn’t 
you like to see the mamma birds wash the babies’ 
faces ? And watch the flowers drink dew and eat sun- 
shine?” was Zan’s tempting offer. 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 67 

‘‘Oo! Does dee birdies do dat?” shouted Teddy, 
eagerly. 

“That’s just what we are going to find out. There 
are plenty of birds in these woods and the first little 
Brownie to see a baby bird’s face being washed will 
have a fat strawberry when we get back to camp!” 
declared Zan, 

“Oh, hurry up, everybody, we want to hunt for the 
birds,” called Dot, leading off through the woods. 

Although heads were upturned to see what was 
hidden in the green branches of the trees, the Brownies 
soon forgot the birds in listening to the Guide talk 
about the wild flowers. 

So interesting were the stories told about the leaves 
and flowers that some of the children eagerly gath- 
ered the flowers they found and tried to identify them 
according to the descriptions told by Miss Miller. 

Teddy and Tammy followed the example of the 
others and plucked different blossoms, trying hard to 
remember the names of the four they had learned for 
the tests. 

“Dat’s a daisy!” declared Teddy proudly, to Tammy 
who stood beside him. 

“Ess, Tammy knows daisies, too!” returned the 
little fellow, defensively. 

“An, dat’s a buddertup, tause it meks budder on 
yur chin when yuh hoi’ it close to yor chin!” ex- 
plained Teddy. 

“Ess, Edie showed Tammy dat,” admitted the baby. 


68 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


“See dis flower?’’ added Teddy, chagrined that 
Edith had supplanted him. 

“Dat’s onny grass!” sniffed Tammy, superiority ex- 
pressed in his tone and face. 

By this time, Zan had drawn the attention of Elena 
and the Guide to the discussion over botany, but neither 
of the little boys were aware of their audience. 

“Wha’s dis f’ower, Teddy?” asked Tammy, point- 
ing at a dandelion. 

“Dat! Why, dat’s — dat’s — lemme fink! Teddy 

knows, now dat’s Oh ! Tammy, look at dat big tree 

way ober dere!” cried Teddy, horrified to find out he 
had forgotten the name of the flower and, intending to 
divert Tammy’s attention from his shortcomings. 

But, a stifled laugh from behind made him turn 
quickly to find several of the big girls near enough to 
have heard him. So, he turned bravely to Tammy 
again, and said quite distinctly, “Tammy, dat’s anudder 
tind of a buddertup — see, it’s all yeller!” 

Tammy’s great blue eyes expressed pained surprise 
as he gazed at his erstwhile saint and said, “Dat ain’t 
no buddertup, neider!” 

Like a flash, Teddy suddenly remembered what his 
mother had taught him when she had him learn about 
the four wild-flowers. So relieved was he at the re- 
membrance that he jumped up and down, shouting 
joyously, “It’s a dandy-lion ! A Dandee-Vion !” 

. When Tammy found that everybody agreed with 
Teddy — that the flower was a dandelion — he thought 
he would smile benignly once more upon his idol. 








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THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 69 

The members of Wako Tribe trudged along over the 
soft green carpet of grass and moss, the songs of birds 
and the dew-laden fragrance of the many wild-flowers 
enchanting the children, so that no one thought of 
fatigue or hunger until Miss Miller spoke to them. 

‘‘Who wants to sit down and hear a story?’’ 

As no normal child ever refuses to listen to a story, 
they all stopped in their pursuits and hurried over to 
the Guide. 

“I just love stories !” exclaimed Edith. 

“Tell a tory all about some faywies !” begged Teddy. 

“Do you like fairy-stories best of any?” queried 
Zan, as she pinched his plump little cheek. 

Teddy was too eager to take notice of the pinch, 
as he bragged, “O-oh, ess! Mamma tells Teddy a nice 
Faywie tory mos’ ev’wy day I” 

“Well, suppose we find a nice place to sit where 
we can hear Zan tell us a fairy story,” suggested Miss 
Miller. 

“Me, Miss Miller!” exclaimed Zan, in surprise. 
“Goodness gracious! I haven’t told a fairy tale in 
ages !” 

“Almost time you refreshed your memory, then!” 
laughed the Guide. 

“Here’s a fine spot to sit — ^here’s a mossy seat for 
the Big Chief!” shouted Billy just then — he had been 
a few yards in advance of the others as they followed 
the path, for he was intent upon finding a pleasant 
place for all to rest. 

“Billy proves he is a good scout. Not only has he 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


70 

chosen a spot with soft green carpet for our feet but 
he also has seen to it that a huge tree-trunk provides 
a seat for many, while a large rock offers a Council 
Chair,’' commended Miss Miller. 

Billy felt very much elated at the Guide’s words and 
turned to kick broken twigs and stones out of the circle 
of moss. 

Every one selected a place to sit where it would be 
dry and comfortable, while Zan racked her brains to 
invent a suitable story for the Brownies. Miss Miller 
diverted the attention of the others from the Chief by 
saying, ^'Oh, we never found that bird’s house where 
we hoped to find the babies having a bath !” 

‘T guess we all forgot to look!” commented Paul. 

‘T didn’t forget, but the leaves were too thick to see 
through and the trees are very high,” added Billy. 

Miss Miller nodded approval at him, and Edith said, 
‘T believe it was because the little birds do not twitter 
as much at this time of the day as they do earlier, when 
they are hungry. Then, too, the parents are away 
’tending to their day’s work; had they all been home 
we would soon have heard them and found a nest.” 

^T think both of you are right in your surmises, 
but I will add that your replies show how observant 
you both are. I hope the other Brownies will soon 
follow your example, for it is a habit a good Wood- 
crafter forms — to be observant of everything he 
finds,” the Guide explained, smiling at both children. 

‘'Maybe Teddy or Tammy can tell us why no one 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 71 

saw a bird’s nest?” asked Nita, eager to hear the little 
ones speak. 

‘Teddy tan! We has a litty bird yup in a tree an’ 
he turns down to det trumbs fom Teddy’s ban’s!” cried 
Teddy, triumphantly. 

“Oh, he means the tame robin he feeds twice a day ! 
Cock Robin sits on the low branches of a tree and 
sings loudly if Teddy is late with the crumbs,” ex- 
plained Edith, with a big-sister air. 

“Oh, I wish I could see him with the robin! It 
must be perfectly dear! Haven’t you ever taken a 
picture of them?” asked Zan, giving Teddy an un- 
expected hug as he sat beside her. 

“Don’ ! Teddy’s a big boy an’ boys don’ like durls 
tissin’ an’ huggin’ em!” cried Teddy, wriggling and 
watching his brother Billy who might laugh at him. 

Some of the others laughed, however, and Miss 
Miller reminded Zan by saying, “Aren’t you ready 
with that story?” 

“I’ve been thinking of one and I believe I will name 
the little girl Betty, not because our Betty is one bit 
like her but just because it is Betty’s birthday party, 
you know,” replied Zan, smiling at the shy little girl 
who was immensely pleased. 

“Well, this little Betty is a make-believe girl who 
had been quite naughty, so that her mamma told her 
she must leave the room where she had been playing 
with Baby Brother. 

“Betty pouted and went out to sit upon the doorstep 
wondering why it was that she wanted to tease the 


72 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


baby and take his toys away until he cried himself into 
a temper. 

“Sitting there, looking across the road as she 
thought of these things, Betty soon noticed the daisies 
and butter-cups bobbing up and down in the tall field 
grass on the other side of the fence. 

“Betty liked to pick flowers and play with them. 
She hadn’t heard of blue-prints or pressing flowers 
like you Brownies do, but she made daisy-chains 
and trimmed her hat or made a crown of the flowers, 
then, tiring of them she would throw them down in 
the hot dusty road to die, or pull them apart, leaf by 
leaf, until they were all torn to bits. 

“So Betty looked at the little flowers waving back 
and forth in the cheering breeze, and said to herself, 
T guess I’ll go and pick some to make a chain.' 

“In a few moments she was over the old rail fence 
picking daisies by the handful — not carefully like our 
Brownies do, but ruthlessly pulling up roots and all, 
then tearing off the wide-open daisies and wasting the 
buds. 

“The daisies were carried to a shady place under 
a gnarled old apple-tree and she began to weave a 
chain of the bright-eyed little blossoms. The birds 
sang sweetly in the lovely morning sunshine and the 
butterflies fluttered about the little girl’s shining yellow 
hair, wondering if the sunny head were a new kind of 
a flower! 

“As Betty wove the chain, the humming of bees and 
the whispering of leaves made her drowsy and several 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 


73 

times she felt her eye-lids droop so that she had to 
jerk up her head and force open her eyes. 

‘‘Suddenly, a tiny creature flew right out of the old 
tree over Betty’s head, and touched the little girl with 
a wand she carried in her tiny hand. Betty looked up 
in surprise and the fairy smiled. 

“ ‘Come and play with us, Betty — we live up in the 
top of the old tree. We can give you whatever you 
most want to have,’ whispered the fairy near Betty’s 
ear. 

“ ‘Why, how can I get up on top of the tree ? I 
am much heavier than you and I have no wings !’ cried 
Betty. 

“ ‘I can give you wings and make you light as air ! 
Will you come?’ eagerly asked the fajry. 

“ ‘What will you give me if I play with you?’ 

“ ‘Anything in the world — as long as it is a good 
gift!’ explained the fairy. 

“That morning before she was sent out of the 
nursery, her mother had said, ‘Betty, it grieves me that 
you show so little love for others. I fear you have 
not enough love in your heart for any one unless you 
think they can give you something I’ 

“The fairy waited quietly while Betty was thinking 
and when the little girl looked up and asked ‘Can you 
give me all the love I need for others?’ the tiny crea- 
ture smiled. 

“ ‘Of course we can! That is one of the best gifts 
we can give, for there is so much love everywhere, that 
we can use all we need and still find all we want !’ 


74 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


'‘Betty looked doubtful as she looked about her and 
found nothing that might be love growing for the 
world to use. 

“ ‘I don’t see any love anywhere !’ said she. 

“ ‘Ah ! Because your eyes have not been opened by 
love. Let me touch them with my fingers K So the 
fairy lightly touched Betty’s eye-lids and the’little girl 
felt that she must rub them to remove the tickling of 
dust on the eyes. 

“Then she looked about in amazement and delight. 
‘Why, Love planted these daisies and buttercups to 
give us beauty!’ cried Betty, touching the little blos- 
soms with a tenderness quite new to her. 

“The fairy smiled and waited eagerly. 

“ ‘And the little blades of grass — and the leaves 
on the trees ; oh ! and the birds and bees are all sing- 
ing of the Love that gives them joy! And that bril- 
liant butterfly just said his wings were painted by 
Love — the same Love that made the perfect sky and 
the whole universe!’ cried the little girl, fairly over- 
joyed at the wonderful discovery. 

“ ‘But that is not all, Betty !’ added the little fairy. 
‘Every time you do a kind deed, or think a helpful 
thought, or wish to show more love for all the good 
you have given to you, then you use Love, too ! Every- 
thing pure and good is from Love, so, when you see the 
world full of good and lovely things, you are seeing 
the expressions of Love, and in this way you will 
always have all the Love you need,’ explained the fairy. 

“ ‘But,’ remonstrated Betty, ‘s’pose I don’t want to 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 75 

run errands or play with the baby when I want to play 
something else, what would you say that was ?’ 

'Ah, Betty dear, that would be the opposite of 
Love, which is the opposite of all that is good and love- 
ly! Everytime you let this opposite influence you to 
do unkind acts or say a sharp word you are destroy- 
ing some of the lovely or good things God made for us 
all to enjoy. But, I hope you will never let anything 
bad or ugly enter your heart again, for you have seen 
the glories of a world full of Love!’ 

"With the last word, Betty felt a kiss light as thistle 
down touch her forehead, and the fairy had vanished. 

"'Come back! Oh, Fairy, come back to me! I 
have much more to ask you, and I will be full of love 
if you will show me how !’ cried Betty, anxiously look- 
ing about and up in the trees. 

"But it seemed to Betty that a whispering breeze 
said, 'We will always be about to help you in keeping 
that promise, even though you may not see us yet — the 
time is coming when you shall see all lovely objects 
as they are, then you will see us !’ 

"Then, a voice was heard calling, 'Betty! Betty! 
Baby wants you to take him out in the go-cart !’ 

"And Betty said to herself, 'Now is my chance to 
see if the fairy was right!’ 

"So she ran home and handed all of the beautiful 
bouquet of flowers to her mother and kissed her, say- 
ing, 'Mother, I saw how happy the little flowers and 
birds and bees were, because they had so much love for 


76 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

others, that I am going to try and be filled with that 
love, too, and make every one happy !’ ’’ 

Zan concluded the moral fairy-tale but the Brownies 
were not satisfied to end the story so abruptly. They 
asked so many questions about all that Betty did after 
she ran home, that Miss Miller laughed and took pity 
on Zan. 

'T believe I hear some birds up in that pine-tree! 
Can any Brownie see the nest?” exclaimed the Guide. 

Every one ran to an open place where the top-most 
branch of the tree could be seen, and sure enough! In 
a crotch of the two top limbs they could see a nest 
with some birds flying about it. 

‘T won the strawberry! I saw the nest first!” cried 
Edith. 

^Tooh! Miss Miller told us where there was one, 
so I don’t think that is finding it!” objected Paul. 

‘T wish birds would build their nests nearer the 
ground where we could watch them keep house,” ven- 
tured Dot. 

“Did any of you children ever build a bird-house?” 
asked Miss Miller, smiling at Billy who had his 
wrapped up for a gift. 

“I never made one all alone, but Bill and I have 
helped the folks at home make some,” replied Edith. 

No other answer came, and the Guide continued: 
“I think it will be very interesting for us to make 
some nice little houses where the birds can live, and 
in that way you can win honours and find a new kind 
of amusement.” 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 77 

“Tan Tammy and Teddy mek ’um?’' cried Teddy, 
excitedly, visions of hammer and nails and paint 
before his eyes. 

“Yes, if you will do just as you are told. But the 
house must be so good that the little birds will come 
and live in it,’' replied Zan. 

“Cock Robin lives in my house on a twee !” declared 
Teddy proudly,, with the manner of a landlord whose 
house is always in demand. 

“It will be fine to begin the houses next week, I 
think!” suggested the Guide, rising to walk back to 
the camp. 

On the way, more flowers and the leaves of some of 
the trees were gathered, and the Brownies were shown 
the bark and type of trees that were passed. 

Now, as they had all walked over a mile, Hilda and 
Nita proposed taking the older Brownies on a further 
walk, which, with the walk back again, would make 
up a three-mile walk to win an honour. 

This was commended, so they started while the 
Guide and Jane took charge of the picnic lunch, and 
Zan and Elena, with Teddy and Tammy, hung the 
wrapped gifts on the lowest branches of the three pine 
trees that stood near the grassy spot chosen for the 
day’s camp. 

All was ready for the hikers’ return, when Jane 
placed the round straw mats about the cloth for the 
Woodcrafters to sit upon. Then, hearing voices, the 
Guide clapped her hands to attract the attention of the 
others. 


78 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

When all were assembled, the Guide started to sing 
the Omaha Prayer, the girls of the Big Lodge, with 
Edith and Billy, joining in singing on the second 
word. But the other Brownies were not familiar with 
the song, although Teddy knew the air and hummed it, 
while his eyes were fascinated by the huge bowl of 
strawberries that sat in front of the Guide’s seat. 

The song ended. Miss Miller bowed her head and 
said, “We thank Thee, Great Spirit, for all the good 
we enjoy.” 

The girls then sat cross-legged on the mats, the 
Brownies following the example set them by the oth- 
ers. Tammy was a chubby little fellow with legs so 
short that they refused to double under, so he strug- 
gled and strove to sit exactly as his admired Cousin 
Billy, but finally he had to give it up. 

“Perhaps Tammy would not have quieted so sud- 
denly, had not Teddy reached out for that candy!” 
laughed Miss Miller, quietly moving the layer cake 
a few inches nearer her own plate. 

Every one laughed, but Teddy cried “Is you doein’ 
to eat dat big tandy on top ov dat cake ?” 

Tammy had quite forgotten to bother about sitting 
Indian style when such a momentous matter was be- 
fore them I 

“No, Teddy, I am only expecting my share of the 
cake, but I always believe in ^safety first,’ ” replied 
Miss Miller, while the Woodcrafters laughed merrily 
at the two, 

“Oh, I think the trees look bee-utiful!” cried Dot, 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 79 

who had not seen the gifts hanging on the trees until 
that moment. 

The large bonbon placed in the centre of the layer- 
cake lost all interest for Teddy and Tammy the mo- 
ment they heard the gift-trees mentioned. They were 
all alertness to hear if the gifts were to be distributed 
before luncheon. 

‘Tt makes me think of Christmas time — the white 
paper packages and red ribbons !” declared Elena. 

‘‘Oh, it wouldn’t make me think it was Christmas 
— no snow for Santa to sleigh on, and no chimney in 
the woods where stockings can be hung!” objected 
Edith. 

“Miss Miller, I know a dandy poem about a Christ- 
mas Tree!” offered Billy, in a tone that there was no 
mistaking. 

“Really? Then do recite it! Now is just the time 
to hear verse, I think,” replied the Guide, looking 
about the circle to see if they approved. 

Billy stood up and cleared his throat, but Paul 
wailed, “Ain’t we going to eat ? I don’t want to hear 
po’try, now !” 

“S-sh! Leave the table if you can’t behave, Paul!” 
cried his embarrassed sister. 

“Paul, remember one of the Brownie Laws — to help 
wherever you can ! This is an opportunity,” reminded 
Miss Miller. 

Paul sulked but kept quiet while Billy said of the 
poem. 


8o 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


“It’s called The Best Tree of All/ and a friend of 

my mother’s made it up for the children.” 

THE BEST TREE OF ALL 

There are very many kinds of trees, and every one is 
nice. 

There are orange trees, and lemon trees, and cocoanut, 
and spice. 

There are hazel-nuts, and butter-nuts, banana trees, 
and date. 

There are apple trees, and cherry trees, and peaches 
delicate. 

Most every kind of thing that’s good grows on some 
kind of tree — 

And every kind of tree is good for something, cer- 
tainly. 

For ’neath the shady willows by the brookside chil- 
dren play — 

And from the gnarled white oak tree tops ’tis fine 
to view the day. 

From maples come the gauzy keys that like swift air- 
ships fly — 

With slender seeds as passengers, along the wind- 
swept sky. 

From poplars slippery catkins drop, that look like angle 
worms. 

To fish with in the gully, where the stream makes deep 
clear turns. 


THE MAYDAY PARTY FOR BETTY 8i 


The stately elm trees tempting are to sit beneath, and 
read — 

The sycamores with dancing balls are interesting 
indeed. 

But there’s one tree — and on this point I’m sure we’ll 
all agree 

That of all trees the very best — it is the Christmas 
tree! 

The Christmas Tree! how wonderful it stands on 
Christmas morn, 

When o’er the snow the bells ring in the day that 
Christ was born. 

What other tree bears fruit like this, so pleasant to the 
child ? 

Its branches ne’er had showered such gifts within the 
forest wild. 

It is the gracious tree of Love — and that is why, you 
see, 

That of all trees the very best — it is the Christmas 
Tree. 

Billy concluded with a bow and every one applauded 
heartily. 

'T wish Billy would write that down for us, for it 
makes a very pretty woodland piece, I think,” re- 
marked Miss Miller, so Billy promised to write it when 
he went home. 

*^Now, are we going to eat?” cried Paul. 


82 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘‘Yes, now we will have our feast,” laughed Zan. 

The Big Lodge girls helped the Brownies to sand- 
wiches and milk before sitting down to enjoy their own 
lunch, and the Guide smiled approvingly. 

When the cake was being cut every Brownie 
watched anxiously to see who got the bonbon, but it 
rolled off during the cutting, and could not be found. 
After much seeking and confusion, it was found that 
Teddy had placed his square-toed little shoe directly 
upon it in getting to his feet — thus ended another 
wonderful dream! 


CHAPTER FOUR 


THE LITTLE LC«DGE WINS HONOURS 

I MMEDIATELY after lunch, the Brownies jumped 
up and looked longingly at the gift-trees. 

“It seems to me, that our dishes will best wait until 
the trees are relieved of their unusual fruit!” sug- 
gested Zan. 

“I should say so! If not. Pm sure Tammy will be 
cross-eyed! He’s been twisting his eyes every way 
since the bonbon and trees were first seen!” laughed 
Jane. 

So, at a given signal every one began hunting for a 
paper package bearing his or her name upon it. Teddy, 
Tammy and Betty had the older girls help them read 
the names. 

The children ran back and forth from one tree to 
another, trying to find their own gift, and much fun 
was derived in telling each other where their gift was 
seen. Finally, every one had a gift, and they all sat 
in a circle to open them, one by one. This was en- 
joyed as every one could see what had been received 
by the others. 

The Guide and Big Lodge girls had given each 
Brownie something useful in Woodcraft; thus, Billy 
83 


84 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

had a box of tools, Edith a bead-loom, others received 
work-boxes, paint-boxes and Paul was given a small 
kodak. 

The Little Lodge members watched eagerly while 
the big girls opened the gifts that had been made 
during the week, and each girl showed great surprise 
and delight at receiving the Inkawink and Bunny pic- 
tures, or other presents. Miss Miller was given the 
bird-house, and was sincerely pleased with it. 

Tammy and Teddy had found a gift on the tree 
that Edith, in passing by, said had Teddy’s name writ- 
ten on it. As neither little fellow could read what was 
written, Tammy pulled the package from the branch. 
Teddy claimed it by right of age and Edith’s state- 
ment, so a grand tussle began between the two 
Brownies. 

‘Tt’s mine!” cried Teddy, pulling at the parcel until 
he had it out of Tammy’s hands. 

“Div me dat pwesent!” screamed Tammy. 

'‘Won’t neider! Tain’t yor’s!” retorted Teddy, just 
as Tammy caught it again and pulled hard at the 
string. 

"Ough, wough! ’s mine!” yelled Tammy. 

The girls standing nearby ran over to interfere, but 
the two belligerents were pulling so madly at the 
string that it broke and both of the boys rolled back 
upon the grass. 

Tammy howled for his lost package and Teddy 
screamed for he thought Tammy had it, whereas it was 
on the ground between them. Before either could roll 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 8^ 

over to get at it, the Guide hurriedly picked it up. 

“Why, how dreadful for two little Brownies to act 
so! I wonder how many rules have been broken, and 
which one must wear the Chump Mark on his shoul- 
der!’' exclaimed Miss Miller. 

That threat silenced Teddy, for he knew from his 
elders at home that a Chump Mark was the height of 
disgrace for a Woodcrafter! 

“Besides, Teddy, here is another package exactly 
like the first one, and it says, ‘For the Baby Brownie,’ 
so who is that?” 

“Dat’s Tammy — he’s a baby!” scorned Teddy, 
jumping up from the grass and running to Miss Miller 
for his own parcel. 

Tammy was too eager to open his present to care 
much just then, whether Teddy called him a baby or 
not, and when both packages were found to contain 
a Kindergarten set, comprising a pair of round-end 
scissors, a ruler, a box of colours, and other small 
items, the little friends were at peace once more. 

“I think some one ought to tell a story with a moral 
to it for Brownies who are selfish — sometimes !” 
hinted Edith, with a big-sister manner. 

“Maybe you know of one to tell us !” suggested Zan. 

“Oh, no; and if I did, Billy wouldn’t listen to me!” 
responded Edith, from experience. 

“I’ll tell a story to fit the case,” offered Jane. 

“All right; come and sit down, children, while we 
hear a story,” called Hilda, before the Brownies could 
object. 


86 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘^Some little sisters were playing in the nursery and 
one had a box of candy. The other had two apples, 
one in each hand, and the third was clutching hold of 
a large doll with both hands. 

‘Then, mother came in with a gift for each little 
girl, but neither one could take it, for their hands 
were already so full, and neither would let go of what 
they clutched. 

“But, children, if you hold on with full hands to all 
you have already, how can you hope to take hold of 
more — ^even should it be much better and easier to 
hold than what you now keep so tight? 

“Finally, the mother showed them how little any 
one could take if they held fast to what they had. She 
told them that every one must use what they needed 
and pass along all that could not be used by them, then 
and there. In that way, everything was kept in cir- 
culation and no one ever needed something that some 
one else was hoarding away or clutching fast with 
both hands. 

“If every one passed along what could not be im- 
mediately made use of, they would receive from others 
just what they could use and need. That was why 
a Wise God governed the universe — to see that every- 
body had what they needed and that no one kept back 
what was not used immediately!’' 

Jane finished her story and the girls wondered how 
the little boys would like it. 

Teddy looked at the box of Kindergarten tools he 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 87 

had received and finally jumped up. He ran over to 
Billy and held out the box, saying, 

^^Dere now! Div me dose big fings for dese litty 
ones.’’ 

The effect of Jane’s story made every one, but Miss 
Miller, laugh merrily. The Guide looked serious, 
however. 

‘'Let’s sing a song. Brownies ! Shall it be about a 
Bunny who is fast asleep in his burrow?” And in- 
stantly, the Guide started singing the popular juvenile 
song called, ‘'Bunny’s in his burrow, fast asleep.” 

The children joined in with a vim and when they 
had concluded the song, Zan said, "Here’s an extra 
verse for Teddy and Tammy: they must be sure to 
join in the chorus! 

Tammy-Boy and Teddy, 

Brownies two. 

See they walk so fast and long 
Hear them sing our Brownie Song, 

Tammy jump! 

Teddy jump! 

Brownies jump!” 

As Zan sang the last three lines, the children hopped 
and shouted with great glee, for it was the favourite 
line. Then Nita did the "Veil Dance,” which is a 
very graceful dance. 

Before any more suggestions could be given, a 


88 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


shout from below, on the mountain-side, made the 
Guide look hastily at her watch. 

^^Goodness me ! Did you know it was so late ! That 
must be the call for us to go home!” 

And at that exclamation every one hurriedly packed 
up mats, baskets, and gifts, to carry them down to the 
waiting automobiles. 

On the homeward ride, Jane said, *^Miss Miller, you 
didn’t tell me just what should have been said in that 
story instead of giving the children the idea that they 
must give to make sure they would get more or better 
than what was given !” 

'T can’t explain in detail, Jane, but you might have 
said, that the Golden Rule was one that never failed : 
'Do unto others as you would that they should do to 
you.’ Then, you might have added that one never 
lost a thing by doing good to others, for the Great 
Spirit rewarded a kind heart and unselfish giver — and 
leave it to Him to point out to each child the individual 
lesson needed.” 

'Tt doesn’t seem to me that Jane’s story will have 
any ill effects on Teddy or Tammy, for they were too 
tired to remember it much longer than the moment they 
heard the tale. Here’s evidence of their drowsy state I” 
whispered Zan, looking down at Tammy’s head which 
was cuddled against her side, his eye-lids closed in 
sleep, while Teddy was curled up in the Guide’s lap, 
his head over her arm, ' absolutely unconscious of all 
that was passed on the homeward trip. 

Beginning with the first of the following week. 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 89 

handicraft began in earnest. It was a rainy week, so 
no one thought of taking trips to the park or the coun- 
try, but all of the Tribe hoped the more eagerly for a 
clear Saturday. The Guide had made plans for a 
week-end camp near Alpine, on the Palisades, where a 
friend of hers owned a large estate. This lady was 
interested in the Woodcraft League, and her two boys 
had taken trips with their Tribe; so she had tents and 
camping equipment which Miss Miller was told could 
be used for the girls that week-end. 

The Monday afternoon, therefore, all of the Brown- 
ies were at Jane’s house waiting for Miss Miller. The 
moment she came in, Zan said, “Now we will open 
Council !” 

“Le’ss mek pickshers — wid ink and paper !” 

Every one laughed at Teddy’s method of opening 
Council, but they had heard how the child had con- 
stantly reminded his family of his unusual gift in in- 
venting Inkawinks, and his present demand on the 
Woodcrafters showed how he appreciated his art. 

“As soon as Council is over we ought to start some- 
thing worth while!” declared Zan, the energetic one. 

“I am quite eager to see you started on making some 
bird-houses. The season is rapidly advancing and 
most of the birds will have found permament quarters 
so your cottages will not be rented this summer unless 
they are soon ready to let!” remarked Miss Miller, 
smiling at the Brownies. 

“Oh, I’d love to make a bird-house!” cried Edith. 

Billy expressed derision at his sister’s words, for 


90 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


he always laughed at the boxes she had made and 
called bird-houses. However, he was generous in his 
present offer to her. 

‘'Edith makes the kind of a house that a bird keeps 
away from ! I make the real kind and always have 
birds nest in ’em. ‘T’ll show her how to do it, if she 
likes!” 

"‘No, you won’t neither! I’ve coaxed and coaxed 
you to at home, and you never would. So, you needn’t 
try to show off in front of Miss Miller, and make her 
believe you are always so nice!” scorned Edith, tears 
of mortification in her eyes. 

Billy looked as if he had been paid back with com- 
pound interest, so the Guide hurriedly spoke, in a con- 
ciliatory way. 

“I am not expert in carpentry work on bird-houses 
and I was about to suggest that Billy teach us all how 
to make some! He was so very successful with the 
one he presented me last week!” 

“Humph! He wouldn’t have been hadn’t mother 
given him the pattern and model drawings!” scoffed 
Edith. 

“Oh, has your mother some sketches?” asked the 
Guide. 

“Yes, indeed ! Mother has lots of plans — some very 
easy ones to make, too!” eagerly said Billy, hoping to 
change the subject of his own short-comings. 

“Perhaps she will loan them to us ?” suggested Zan. 

“She will, I know she will !” declared Billy. 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 91 

Every one seemed pleased with the idea, and Teddy 
clapped his chubby hands excitedly. 

Tammy looked at Teddy contemplatively for a mo- 
ment but it seems that bird-houses were dreams of the 
future for Tammy while there was something more 
imminent. So, he turned to Zan. 

'‘Le’ss doe an’ do pickshers!” 

Zan bent over and whispered, ‘‘Pretty soon, 
Tammy.” 

“No, Tammy wan’s to mek ’em now!'' 

“S-sh!” warned Zan, placing a quieting hand on 
his head as Miss Miller spoke. 

“If we go on this week-end camp we want to start 
taking photographs. How many of you have a 
kodak?” 

Several of the girls had cameras or kodaks and 
Billy had a Brownie No. 2, but no one else had ever 
owned a camera. 

“I think it will be possible for each one of you to 
procure a Brownie No. O, which is the cheapest size 
made. If we buy six or more at a time, we ought to 
get a discount from the man,” said Miss Miller, in a 
business-like way. 

Tammy not only felt impatient at this sort of talk 
but he grew irritated as well, as he cried, *'When iss ou 
tomin’ to mek dem pickshers !” 

“I see some of our members are most impatient at 
my prolonged speech so I will have to stop with this 
suggestion: We must have plenty of singing and 
dancing in our camp. So let some of the older girls 


92 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


find songs or plan some dances for all to enjoy,’^ con- 
cluded Miss Miller. 

“O-oh dea’ me! Tan’t anybuddy turn wid Teddy 
and Tammy to mek pickshers?” sighed Teddy, get- 
ting up from the floor and yawning wearily. 

'‘Zan, you’d best start those two Brownies at once 
on their Inkawinks or our Tribe will lose two of its 
most valued members,” laughed the Guide. 

The Brownies were all eager to try some of the 
funny little ink pictures, so half an hour was agree- 
ably spent in trying to produce blots that would look 
like real objects. While the little ones made the pic- 
tures, the big girls tried to write jingles to fit the 
blots. 

After a few trials, Billy caught the knack and made 
a blot that resembled a cow, and Hilda wrote this 
jingle : 

beg you look carefully now. 

At this beautiful new kind of cow; 

She is softer than silk. 

Gives very black milk, 

And the cud that she chews is chow-chow.” 

"'What’s a cud?” Dot asked. 

"A cow’s chewing gum !” said Billy seriously. 

The reply was so unexpected that the older girls 
had to laugh but Miss Miller explained. “A cow chews 
her cud to aid in digesting her food. An animal of 
this kind is known as a ruminating beast. It is from 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 


93 



The Inkawink Cows 


this habit of the cow that boys who chew gum are 
said to be ‘chewing a cud.’ ” 

Edith had paid little attention to the talk on cuds 
but immediately after it was finished, she showed Jane 
her ink blot. Jane declared it looked like two fight- 
ing hens, so she was told to make a jingle to go with it. 

“Goodness, there isn’t much inspiration about a hen 
— and an ink hen, at that!” retorted Jane, causing a 
chuckle to sound from those Big Lodge members who 
had discharged their duties with honour. 

“I should say that poultry in any colour or shape 
ought to inspire a genuine child of Nature,” teased 
Zan. 

So, after chewing off the end of a pencil, Jane was 
able to write this verse for the hens. 

“These Inkawink hens in a rage 
Thought they would in a quarrel engage; 


94 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


Each had just laid an egg, 

But tell me, I beg. 

Why they should get mad at that stage.” 



The Inkawink Hens 


Jane's attempt was not awarded as merry a laugh as 
the others, but it was accepted and placed in the Tally 
Book, then Paul handed his blot to the Guide for 
interpretation. 

“I would not like to have a naturalist overhear me 
when I say that this looks more like a mule than a 
mooly-cow !” laughed Miss Miller after puzzling over 
the picture. 

‘Tt must be an artic creature, for there is a snow- 
storm blowing, you see," added Zan, pointing to the 
dots of black. 

‘‘And he is holding a tooth-pick in his mouth 1" ven- 
tured Hilda. 

“No, no! This Inkawink is too well-bred to use 
a tooth-pick 1 That is a horn," explained Nita, while 
the Brownies were enjoying the discussion immensely. 

“How can any one say that animal is anything but 
a stag. He has horns and stands gracefully waiting 
for the charge of his antagonist," declared Elena. 

“Oh, Elena ! Art is surely turning your head ! No 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 95 

one can honestly say that this is a stag^!” laughed 
Zan. 

“Well, then, you give a better name for it,” retorted 
Elena. 

“Call it a lion — it will be easier to make up a verse 
to rhyme with lion — there’s buyin’ and shyin’ and all 
kinds of words,” said Billy, finally. 

Amidst laughter from the big girls, the jingle was 
made to go with a lion. 



The Inkawink Lions 

“This wild wink-a-lion so bold. 
One night strayed out in the cold ; 
The snow, wet and black. 

Sadly blotted his track ; 

Fe never came home, I am told.’’ 


96 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

“Oh, I guess that’s the funniest pome of all!” 
laughed Dot, clapping her hands. 

“Why — where’s the joke?” asked Billy. 

“Can’t you see that snow is white! How could it 
be black?” retorted Dot. 

Billy said nothing but his expression showed his 
opinion of Dot’s sense of humour. 

“Stop making a fuss. Dot — I’ve got a picture for 
some one to write about,” Paul shouted. 

“Why, you just handed in your Inkawink! You 
can’t have two turns to our one!” cried Dot, sur- 
prised. 

“Yes we can, if we make a good one!” argued Paul. 

“I think the other Brownies should have their turn 
at presenting the Inkawinks before we start a second 
round,” remonstrated Zan. 

“Then it’s my turn! I’ve got a good one!” called 
Dot, offering her blot picture. 

“Hum! I wonder what this is?” murmured Hilda. 

“Let me see it, Hilda; I haven’t had a chance to 
make up anything — you girls just catch every Inka- 
wink that comes from the Brownie Printing Press!” 
laughed Nita, quickly snatching the paper. 

The moment Nita looked at the picture in her hand, 
she called out, “Oh, this just suits me! Just wait 
a minute until I think it out!” 

The children waited expectantly while Nita smiled 
in silent appreciation of her jingle in the process of 
being made. 

“Come now, Nita, you’re taking too long for your 


THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 97 

verse,” reminded Jane, after a few moments of silence. 
'Tt’s ready! How do you all like it?” giggled Nita. 

‘This Inkywink lady one day, 

Thought that she would try a ballet; 

Glancing over her shoulder, 

She beheld a beholder. 

And lost her black heart right away.” 



just fits her to a dot!” cried Zan, while the others 
laughed. 

‘Tt suits her love for dancing but do you think 
Nita would tell us if she lost her heart to a be- 
holder?” asked Jane, teasingly. 

‘T’d want to lose it instantly, if it was black! Who 
wants to keep a black heart?” retorted Nita. 


98 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

“Well, I think that picture and jingle is the best of 
any, so far,’’ commended the Guide. 

“So, of course, it goes in the Tally Book!” added 
Elena. 

“Nobody’s done my picture, yet,” Betty now re- 
minded the girls. 

“Is it ready, dear?” asked the Guide. 

“Maybe you won’t think it is good enough,” re- 
turned Betty, anxiously, as she handed the paper to 
Miss Millei. 

“It really is a hard one to guess, isn’t it?” said Zan, 
looking over the Guide’s shoulder at the Inkawink. 

“I should name it the Nothing Man !” declared Miss 
Miller, handing the picture to Zan. 

“But it is your turn to rhyme for this one 1” laughed 
Zan, thrusting the paper back in the Guide’s hands. 

The others watched laughingly, for they expected 
great things from their teacher. Miss Miller saw their 
expectations and scribbled off: 

“These queer-looking Inkawink men. 

Who can’t be described by a pen. 

Went out one wild night 
And got a great fright — 

They were frightened at NOTHING — but then!” 

“Oh, Miss Miller! How disappointing you are in 
your jingle! You ought to give us the funniest one 
of all !” cried Zan, as the Guide concluded reading her 
verse. 



THE LITTLE LODGE WINS HONOURS 99 

‘T don’t think I feel inspired to-day. Perhaps, had 
this ink blot been presented to me when I am in one 
of my Shakespearean moods, I might have written 
a classic,” replied Miss Miller, laughing as she pasted 
the Inkawink and verse in the Tally Book to settle 
the matter. 


As the book was closed Dr. Baker entered the room 
and stood smiling at the group of merry-makers. 

'Tt seems a shame .to interrupt such a lively meet- 
ing, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to enjoy the 
fun at much closer range. I was passing the house 
when I heard an awful commotion. I feared some- 
thing unusual was happening in Mrs. Hubert’s gen- 


Inkawink Men 


100 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


erally quiet home ; then, I remembered that the Wako 
Tribe of Indians met here this afternoon. That ex- 
plained everything.’' 

‘Won’t you sit down, Doctor, and hear us sing,” 
invited Jane, pushing forth a chair. 

“Hardly time, I think. I thought some of you 
might want to ride home in my automobile, as it is so 
late,” rejoined Dr. Baker. 

“Oh, it isn’t time to break up, yet!” hastily said 
Zan. 

“Well, it ought to be. It is almost six o’clock.” 
And the doctor looked at his watch to make sut* . 


CHAPTER FIVE 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN ! 

T he following day the Tribe met at Nita's home. 

When all were assembled in the library, the roll 
was called and, as there was no business to discuss, 
the Guide suggested that Billy give them a dance with 
action. 

Billy was silent for a few minutes thinking over 
some of the songs he knew, then he looked up and 
said, ‘‘I guess Pll do a song a little play-mate wrote 
for me last Christmas.’’ 

“I think that will be just the thing. An original 
song composed by a friend !” commended the Guide. 

Billy then went to the centre of the room and be- 
gan in a sweet low voice to sing the Blue Bird song, 
demonstrating the action in the words with graceful 
motions of his hands and body. 

‘That was very cute, Billy, and I believe every 
Brownie here will enjoy learning how to do it some 
time,” approved the Guide, heartily. 

“Yes, and we can copy the song in our Tally Book 
if Billy will permit us to,” added Elena. 

“What are our plans for to-day’s work?” asked 
Hilda. 

lOI 


102 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘T wished to have the Brownies start to make some 
bird-houses.” 

'‘And I brought some plans that mother had at 
home. We may borrow them to help us model our 
houses,” offered Billy, taking the papers from his 
pocket. 

“That is going to be a great help to us — I see these 
drawings are all measured and easily explained so we 
ought to be able to work them out very well, indeed!” 
reported the Guide, looking over the models carefully. 

“But there is only one set of plans — how are so 
many children going to copy them?” wondered Nita. 

“We’ll tack them up in a central place where any 
one can see and use them, of course,” returned Zan. 

“I brought some armsful of wood and my tools 
with me,” ventured Billy. 

“So’d I! Dear, my arms ached so with all those 
pieces of board, I thought they’d break off before Billy 
and I got here!” exclaimed Edith rubbing her joints 
as if they still ached. 

“Oh, my ! Are we going to saw and cut and ham- 
mer?” cried Nita, glancing about the room at the over- 
crowded ornamentation displayed everywhere. 

“We would like to begin sometime before the Mil- 
lenium!” retorted Zan. 

“I’m afraid my mother won’t like us to be very ac- 
tive in the house. I promised her we’d sit still and 
not touch anything while we met here. She’s at one 
of her club meetings now, so I can’t ask her about 
making things,” sighed Nita, plaintively. 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN ! 


103 


“I understand, Nita,” rejoined Miss Miller, looking 
at the fragile tables loaded with bric-a-brac, the nu- 
merous expensive rugs of all sizes and colours and 
weave ; at the odd pieces of gilt or inlaid furniture, and 
she felt just how nervous Nita must feel to have a 
Band of lively Brownies to entertain. 

‘'It’s too bad we didn’t go to Zan’s home — or 
Elena’s!” remarked Miss Miller, after a pause. 

“But I love to have them here. Miss Miller, and I 
only wish I had a big room of my very own where 
I could fix things up as I’d like to I My bedroom 
is just as fussy as all the rest of the house!” cried 
Nita, rebelliously. 

“I’ll tell you what, Nita! Let’s do our work out 
on the big back piazza,” suggested Zan, suddenly. 

“That will be just the place!” declared Nita, smiling 
again with relief. 

So the tools were carried out to the rear verandah 
that ran across the whole side of the house and was 
only used now or again. A few steps led down to 
a small flower garden, and here Teddy established his 
workshop. 

Every one felt a sense of relief the moment they 
were in a place where one could turn about without 
knocking down a vase, or a tabourette. 

For the remaining afternoon, the children enjoyed 
the pleasure of creating something, and many sounds 
besides hammering and sawing informed all who would 
listen that the Woodcrafters were mightily busy. 

The next day. Miss Miller brought a clipping found 


104 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


in a pamphlet issued by the Audubon Society. This, 
she read aloud to the members of Wako Tribe. 

“ ‘Each school should build two or more bird-houses 
near their school-building. 

“ ‘Each child should bring daily a small amount of 
grain or crumbs to the teacher to be used for feeding 
the birds during the winter. Feeding should begin at 
once, before cold weather drives the birds away. 

“ ‘A clear space near the school-house should be 
selected for a feeding ground and birds should be fed 
there daily (bread crumbs and grain — in winter a 
piece of suet). 

“ ‘In the winter a piece of suet should be nailed to 
a branch of a nearby tree. Birds love suet in cold 
weather and it helps keep their blood warm. 

“ ‘A pan, or other vessel, of water should be kept 
near the feeding ground, as a bird thirsts in winter 
when waterways are covered with ice. Also, in sum- 
mer when there is lack of rain. 

“ ‘Thousands of song-birds go South in the winter, 
not because our climate is too cold but simply because 
they can find no food or drink in the North when it is 
frozen over. Also, thousands of pheasants and part- 
ridges died from starvation last year, and this can 
be avoided by feeding the other birds, leaving what 
is found in the woods and fields for the birds which 
are too timid to come and eat at the public restaurant. 
Every child will find great pleasure and interest in 
helping feed the birds.’ ” 

Miss Miller concluded reading and instantly the 



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BUSY DAYS OF FUN! 


105 

Brownies declared they would start a feeding ground 
at the school the next day. 

“That will be very nice, children, but I must gain 
permission from the Principal and perhaps he will 
have to ask the board of Education to give their con- 
sent to having the place set aside for the birds. You 
see, nothing can be done in or with a public building 
or ground without asking the authorities/’ explained 
Miss Miller, to the amazement of the children. 

“Why, I thought our very own school was ours!” 
cried Paul. 

“But it isn’t ours I It is loaned us to use for les- 
sons. Whatever you learn there, is your very own 
and no one can ever take your education away from 
you. But the teachers and ground and building are 
paid for by the city and state and nation by taxing 
the people. So, you see, it belongs to the people who 
go to make up the nation. If there were not some 
safeguard to keep out gifts or things folks wanted 
in the school, or other public buildings, to have and 
use, so much useless stuff would accumulate that one 
could never get into the school-rooms. That is why 
the Board of Education decides upon everything pro- 
posed.” 

That afternoon saw the simple little houses com- 
pleted and Nita offered to keep them in the store-room 
until they heard from the Principal of the school. 

“My mother said to us this morning, why didn’t 
we make some troughs and bird-baths too, while we 


io6 LITTLE WOODCR AFTER’S BOOK 

were at it?’' announced Billy, as he placed his house 
in a corner of the room. 

‘‘You forget, Billy. She said, ‘I can send Miss 
Miller the crude little sketch I made at our country- 
home last summer. It shows a bath, a trough and some 
houses all made and being used by the birds,’ ” added 
Edith. 

“Then I wish you would bring it in the morning.’ 
If we find any good idea to work upon we may as 
well meet here again and finish our bird work,” re- 
plied the Guide. 

“But we’ve used up all the wood Billy and Edith 
brought. Hadn’t each child better bring some smooth 
pieces of board, instead of making the Remington chil- 
dren carry all of it over here?” asked Jane. 

“Oh, yes! That is understood! Each Brownie 
must bring some pieces of board for the bath and 
troughs to-morrow,” declared Miss Miller, as they left 
the piazza to go indoors. 

The third day of work on the bird-houses, Billy 
handed Miss Miller the pencil drawing of the bird out- 
fit in the country. 

“And mother told me to say that you could write 
to National Headquarters of the Audubon Society in 
New York City and ask for anything in the line of 
bird stuff we might want. They keep all sorts of 
models and helps for schools and children to use.” 

“I will follow your mother’s advice to-day. It is 
very kind of her to help us so much,” returned Miss 
Miller. 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN! 


107 


She looked at the little sketch given her by Billy 
and remarked, think we can make some troughs 
and baths by just looking at this picture. We can use 
our own judgment as to size.” 

The picture was passed around the circle and Teddy 
was the last one to see it. He sat and held the paper 



for some time without saying a word, while the girls 
smiled in anticipation. Then he turned to Tammy. 

“Tsee dere! Dat’s a ’mer’can eagle my mudder 
made. He’s tsingin’ to call all dee birdies in dee worl’ 
to turn an’ eat!” 

Tammy stared very hard at the picture while every 
one laughed at the two children with the original ideas. 

There seemed to be more enthusiasm over making 


io8 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

the baths and troughs than had been displayed over 
the houses, and finally Miss Miller remarked : ‘T sup- 
pose you all know you are winning honours with these 
articles T* 

‘'Why, that’s so! I never remembered it!” cried 
Edith. 

The other Brownies were delighted to hear the news, 
but the Guide quieted their exuberant rejoicing by 
adding: “As soon as four wild birds have used 
them; not counting the English sparrows!” 

The following afternoon, the Tribe met at Elena’s 
home. The bird dishes were finished and nothing im- 
mediate was on hand to be done, so the Guide sug- 
gested that they hear some Folk Lore and try some 
Folk Dances that afternoon. 

Before she had quite finished speaking, however, the 
Remington children came in. 

“We’re late. Miss Miller, ’cause Teddy just wouldn’t 
come without that old box !” cried Edith, breathlessly. 

“Edif, iss a noo box!” wailed Teddy, hugging a 
square box closely to his heart. 

Edith scorned to reply but took a seat near Dot to 
explain the worries of having a small brother. 

“What did Teddy bring to the Council?” asked Miss 
Miller, innocently. 

Instantly, Teddy howled and ran out of the room, 
while most of the Tribe wondered. Billy and Edith 
laughed uproariously. 

“Goodness ! What’s the matter ?” asked Zan. 

“He’s afraid we want his old camera! Mother 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN! 


109 

bought a Brownie No. 2 for him, and he wouldn’t come 
without it !” said Billy. 

‘'And you must have made him believe you were 
going to use it for the Council meeting. When we 
wanted to look at it last night, he acted just the same 
way,” laughed Edith. 

At that moment Teddy’s yellow head was seen peer- 
ing in between the portieres, and the Guide assured 
him that no one wanted to touch his camera unless 
he asked them to. 

‘Tss Teddy’s tamera!” declared he, proudly. 

"Can Tammy hold it for a little while?” teased 
Edith. 

"No, no! Iss all mine!” howled the child again, 
but Miss Miller soon quieted him while Zan told Edith 
she must not tease one younger than herself. 

Edith felt rather embarrassed at the rebuke so she 
said laughingly, "Teddy dreamed about the kodak last 
night, and Anna had to get up and talk to him !” 

Then Billy added: "Mother gave it to him last 
night at supper-time and he was so wild about it that 
he wouldn’t eat any supper. He wouldn’t even let 
mother take it to show him how to turn the key or 
push the button, but we had to explain and show it 
to him while he held it tight between both hands. We 
warned him what would happen if he pushes the but- 
ton just for fun — he’ll lose a lovely picture and waste 
a good film!” 

"Oh, Miss Miller! Let me tell what he dreamed 


no LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

about!’' cried Edith, eagerly. So she hurriedly be- 
gan the story lest Teddy or Billy try to tell it. 

''He cried so loud in the night that Anna had to 
go to his crib and wake him up. He was hugging 
the camera that he had carried to bed with him. 

" '0-oh! Teddy made six nuffinsl’ he howled. 

“ 'Six what?’ asked Anna, ’cause she didn’t know 
about the advice mother gave him. 

" 'Nuffinsl’ 

" 'Show Anna what hurts her darling 1’ said Anna. 

"Teddy held out the kodak box and told her he had 
made six 'nuffins’ in his sleep and he wanted back the 
six films. 

"Anna looked at the box and found number one 
there as it was at first. She laughed and explained to 
Teddy that he only dreamed he had made the 'nuffins.’ 
She had to show him the box and tell him what 
'number one’ meant, before he would go to sleep 
again.” 

Edith, concluded and Miss Miller commended her 
on the way she told the story. 

Teddy had been listening and when the others 
laughed he laughed too. Then he turned to Zan to 
show her where the button was on the precious kodak, 
and in that moment Tammy thrust out two fat little 
hands and grasped the box. 

Teddy was taken by surprise, and his hold weak- 
ened. Instantly, a tremendous battle ensued, and had 
not Edith saved the kodak when it fell under the two 
solid little bodies of the wrestlers, there might have 


/ 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN! in 

been a sadder ending to the fray. As it was, Edith 
caught up the camera to a place of safety and Miss 
Miller intervened to ^^make peace with honour” be- 
tween the combatants. Teddy, seeing his kodak safe 
in Edith’s possession, smiled and looked upon Tammy 
again with friendly eyes. 

‘Tammy wan’s a tamera!” pleaded the baby 
Brownie. 

“Mamma went to buy you a kodak to-day, Tammy !” 
said Betty, soothingly. 

“Tammy wan’s to hoi’ one now — dus’ a litty 
minoot !” cried the child, pitifully. Even Teddy’s ada- 
mant heart was touched. 

“Tammy tan hoi’ my tamera but don’ drop it!” 
said Teddy, anxiously. 

Tammy smiled and Teddy caused him to sit upon 
the floor to lessen any danger of accident. Then he 
placed the little black box in Tammy’s lap and stood 
guard over him for the space of half a minute. So 
Tammy was made supremely happy. 

“I think we ought to give a little time to discussing 
the plans for our week-end camp, and not permit Teddy 
to usurp the whole afternoon,” laughed the Guide, 
after a time. 

So the girls were told of the lady’s telephone mes- 
sage to Miss Miller that morning. 

“She said it would be wiser for us to camp in the 
woods near her place, as this was to be our first night- 
camp. We won’t have to take any cots or bedding 
or pans, as her boys will see that the tents are fitted 


112 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


up. All we will need to carry will be extra blankets, 
food-stuffs, or whatever we fancy we may need.'' 

‘T think I will take a little book of Folk Songs that 
was given mother by her grandmother," said Hilda. 

“Nita, being such a genius at dancing, ought, to be 
able to pick out some of those songs to teach the 
Brownies," suggested the Guide. 

“How ! How !" came from the other girls, and Nita 
smiling gladly accepted the suggestion. 

“Now, Woodcrafters, let us conclude the afternoon 
with a Folk Story," said the Guide. 

“What do you call a Folk Lore story?" asked Dot. 

“I call any good old-time tale^ — one that describes 
the customs, people and land of a certain folk, a folk- 
lore story. For instance, the poem of Hiawatha is a 
splendid folk story," explained Miss Miller. “Shall I 
tell it?" 

The members of the Tribe settled into comfortable 
positions and quiet reigned as Miss Miller began. 

“Can you picture a narrow winding trail through a 
dense forest ?" As she spoke, the Guide demonstrated 
her words by seeming to hunt for the trail through the 
long room, ever and anon stopping to look for faint 
tracks made in the woods by four-footed animals, or 
the sign of an enemy. 

“Can you see the rabbit scurry away in fright?" 
The part of a startled hare running to its burrow was 
acted. 

“Can you see an anxious bird fly through the thick 
green of the trees to the clear blue sky above?" Miss 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN ! 


113 

Miller gracefully waved her arms up and down to 
represent a bird on the wing. 

“Across the path made by the wild creatures there 
may stretch such a growth of tangled underbrush as 
no white man could pass. Now, let your imagination 
picture the scene : you fancy you hear a footfall light 
as the tiny rabbit’s and as firm as the great buffalo’s ! 

“Look up! Can you see the man who cut his way 
through many worse jungles and tangles than one of 
underbrush and wilderness? 

“He is tall and straight.” The Guide lifted her head 
as high as she could and her slender body straight- 
ened. 

“His features are those of an Indian but his eyes 
are the eyes of a prophet. He wears a string of white 
pebbles about his neck and his face is kindly. He 
seems to be listening as he travels, for his head is 
slightly raised and he seems to lean forward.” 

Miss Miller inspired her hearers with the soul and 
spirit of the beautiful tale, as she demonstrated the 
graceful motions of Hiawatha and expressed his sen- 
timents. Her face was uplifted and her eyes seemed 
to be gazing into a future of peace and goodwill on 
earth, while she heard the spiritual voices of heaven. 

“He is different from his brother Indians, because 
he hears the voice of Gitche Manito as clearly as Elijah 
heard the voice of his God. 

“Gitche Manito, the Mighty, the Master of Life, has 
commanded this noble Indian to bear the message of 
peace to the nations.” The Guide spoke in a reverent 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


114 

tone and seemed to bow in spirit before a great white 
throne. Not a sound was heard in the room when 
she paused for a moment. 

‘'Hear what our beloved Longfellow tells us of the 
Great Spirit’s message : 

“ T am weary of your quarrels, 

Weary of your wars and bloodshed, 

Weary of your prayers for vengeance. 

Of your wranglings and dissensions; 

All your strength is in your union. 

All your danger is in discord; 

Therefore be at peace henceforward. 

And as brothers live together. 

“ T will send a prophet to you, 

A deliverer of the nations. 

Who shall guide you and shall teach you. 
Who shall toil and suffer with you. 

If you listen to his counsels, 

You will multiply and prosper : 

If his warnings pass unheeded. 

You will fade away and perish.’ 

“Longfellow may not have written the exa:ct truth 
about this Indian Warrior, but it is a fact neverthe- 
less that about the year 1570 an Indian such as Hia- 
watha is described to be, did exist and did carry his 
wonderful message of peace to a people who scarcely 
knew the meaning of peace. 


BUSY DAYS OF FUN! 


115 

‘‘And what is greater, he effected the union of the 
Five Nations, and thereafter these tribes refused to 
fight among themselves. So these Indians prospered, 
for peace always gives prosperity and plenty to its 
children. 

“Hiawatha’s work was not a failure, even though 
he had struggles to overcome, and temptations as- 
sailed him, just as they do to other mortals. We know 
this was so, for we hear what the vanquished enemy 
cried : 

“ ‘And,’ he cried, ‘O Hiawatha, 

Bravely have you wrestled with me. 

Thrice have wrestled stoutly with me. 

And the Master of Life, who sees us. 

He will give to you the triumph !’ 

“Then from the land whence Hiawatha journeyed, 
floated these beautiful words : 

I 

“ ‘But my guests I leave behind me. 

Listen to their words of wisdom. 

Listen to the truth they tell you. 

For the Master of Life has sent them 
From the land of light and morning.’ ” 

Silence followed the Guide’s concluding lines. Fi- 
nally, she said in a low voice, “That is the way I love to 
hear Folk Lore.” 

“Miss Miller, you certainly are a wonderful story- 
teller,” sighed Zan. 


ii6 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

‘‘Any one can accomplish what is right if the desire 
is strong enough. It all depends upon yourself, not 
upon your privileges or surroundings,’’ returned the 
Guide. 

Then, after some songs were sung, the Tribe started 
home, but they had agreed to meet early the next after- 
noon, as school was over at two on Fridays instead 
of three as on other days. 


CHAPTER SIX 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 

F riday afternoon immediately after school a 
bevy of eager children jumped about the main 
entrance where the big girls generally came out. The 
moment Hilda appeared in the doorway, Edith called 
out, ‘Where do we meet to-day?’’ 

“At Zan’s house, I guess. We expect to start from 
there in the morning,” replied Hilda. 

Not one of the Brownies wanted to settle down to 
work for they felt there was too much to be talked 
over and planned for the camp. Finally, having tried 
different suggestions for occupation during the time 
the Tribe remained at Zan’s home, the Guide laughed. 
“I suppose you will consent to dance?” 

“Yes, yes — what shall it be?” cried most of the 
Brownies. 

“Well, I will leave the choice to Nita and Billy. 
They may offer to dance together for our entertain- 
ment,” replied Miss Miller. 

“I have a new dance but I want to keep it for camp. 
Can’t some one tell a story instead of having a dance?” 
asked Nita. 

“I brought something that is very entertaining, I 


ii8 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

think/’ offered Jane, taking some papers from her 
pocket. 

“Before I show the Brownies these papers I ought to 
tell them what Jack explained to me last night. He 
said, When you look up at the sky at night you see 
the stars twinkle, and they seem to be star-shaped, 
something like a star-fish which is named after them. 
But really, they do not twinkle nor are they stellate — 
which means star-shaped. 

“ ‘The twinkling is due to the vapour or gases that 
come between us and the stars, and the second error 
can quickly be proven if you try out your eye-sight in 
this way : 

“ ‘Take a piece of tinfoil and prick a small round 
hole in it with a needle.’ Jack did it for me last night 
and then we went into a dark room. He lit a candle 
and placed it on the table and held the tinfoil so that 
the light could shine through the hole. He then told 
me to stand about ten inches back of the tinfoil so 
that my eyes would be on a line with the hole. 

“I did, and the round hole seemed to be irregular 
in shape. He brought it nearer to my eyes and it 
seemed to change from an irregular hole to a star- 
shape. Now, I knew it was not star-shaped for I 
saw the hole made with the needle, but my eyes de- 
ceived me in the same way they do other things daily. 

“I was so surprised at the delusion that Jack 
laughed, ‘Don’t you know that no two people see the 
same thing alike ?’ 

“I looked intently at Jack for a moment, for I knew 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 


119 

he had never known that before, then I said, ‘You 
didn’t know it either. You must have learned it in 
school to-day.’ 

“Then he laughed and admitted the truth: how he 
found out that the five physical senses told us the most 
awful fibs! Music and perfume, and all good quali- 
ties of character are lasting things and yet not one of 
these things were objectified — they were mental. For 
instance, perfume and music and gratitude cannot be 
seen — it is the flower and instrument and heart that 
are material, but these cannot produce a sense. 

“You can fancy how amazed I was, so I finally said, 
‘You’ve got to show me why you claim my eyes do 
not tell the truth when they see something I’ 

“And Jack replied, ‘The easiest thing in the world. 
Here, hold this paper up to your eyes — to the level 
of the one eye, and then close the other eye. Do the 
pins seem to stick right up in the paper instead of being 
flat down on the paper as they are in the drawing?’ 

“I did as he said, and sure enough, the pins were 
standing upright in the paper! 

“Maybe Jack didn’t laugh at my surprise, so I 
begged him to let me bring the paper to show you. 
Here it is. Now, take a squint at it and see what you 
think about the pins.” 

The Brownies did as Jane directed them and many 
were the exclamations of surprise at the way their eyes 
tricked them. 

Even the big girls were amazed at the delusion and 
Miss Miller smiled with satisfaction for she always 


120 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


liked these novel ways of educating the children in 
preference to dry theories and empty words or phrases. 

“I have an idea, girls!” said the Guide, when the 
paper had been scanned and returned to Jane. ‘Tet 
every one try out various ways in which their eyes 
prove untruthful to them. Whenever you think you 
have caught the sense of physical sight tricking you. 



The Pins 


follow it up until you find out just what the trouble 
is. If you write down the impressions and the facts, 
it will prove most interesting reading to the members, 
some day.” 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 


12 


“We will. Maybe you can offer an honour for the 
best idea ?” hinted Zan. 

“See here, Zan Baker! Don’t you go and steal a 
march on us! You — with a doctor in the family to 
describe and tell all about the nerves and optical illu- 
sions of the sense of sight !” cried Nita, while the oth- 
ers laughed at Zan. 



“Can You Read This?” 


“I guess Jane had better show us the next picture!” 
Miss Miller suggested with a smile at the older girls. 

“I think I will! But let us hope Zan won’t try to 
get an honour for my telling you how to do this,” re- 
torted Jane. 

“This picture looks more like a jumble of lines than 
anything else. While it is down flat on the table it 
might seem to represent a spider’s web, but lift it up 
like you did with the pins and you can plainly read 


122 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


what is written there. This shows how simple a thing 
it is to delude one into believing one thing is another 
thing.” 

The younger Brownies could not read the writing, 
but Dot and Betty pretended they could, so of course, 
when Teddy took the paper to look at it as the others 
had done, he cried, ‘‘O — o! Dat’s awfuh pitty pick- 
sher !” 

Every one laughed at him, but Teddy handed the 
paper to Tammy while his face expressed disgust at 
folks who always laughed at him. 

“Tammy looked at the picture with the writing on 
end, and mimicked his model, in admitting, “Ess, daFs 
awfoo pitty!” 

“Got anything more to show us, Jane?” asked Zan. 

“No, but I think Eve preached quite long enough,” 
returned Jane, folding up the papers. 

“Well, then, let’s sit down and hear Elena’s story,” 
advised Zan. And every one quickly settled to await 
the tale. 

“Texas, in early days, being so near Mexico and 
other Indian territory, was over-run with half-breeds 
and greasers who robbed and did all sorts of dread- 
ful things to the white pioneers who tried to settle in 
the country. 

“In this story, the lady my mother met was the 
little girl who was stolen, and she was only a tiny 
tot at the time.” 

“Big as Tammy?” eagerly cried Teddy. 

“I guess she was younger than Tammy — maybe she 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 


123 

was two years old, and her brother about a year old, 
for he couldn’t talk, you know. 

'‘Her mother was a New England woman who had 
a very sweet voice. Before she was married she sang 
in a church choir in her home town, and after she 
married and went to Texas to live she used to sing 
for her own pleasure. Then, when the children came 
she would sing them to sleep, or when they were cross. 

“A favourite song with all of them was a sweet lit- 
tle song she had composed herself. So, the last song 
every night, was this little lullaby with its simple mel- 
ody. 

“One day, the mother told the little girl to play out- 
side the door with baby brother, while she did the bak- 
ing. A party of bad, awful Indians had been hiding 
about the little settlement to steal the pioneers’ valu- 
ables and get money on them. Suddenly, one of the 
rascals whispered that they would get heaps of money 
back if they carried off the children. That pleased 
the wicked men and soon they had a number of young 
children, among them the two babies who had been 
playing in the clearing. 

“The ranchers did not know what was happening 
until one of the older children ran home screaming to 
her mother that her brother had been stolen by the 
bad Indians. Then other parents found their little 
ones were missing, too. 

“The wailing crowd of settlers ran from one house 
to another to see who was missing, and when they 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


124 

arrived at the log cabin where the mother was busy 
working, she heard the fearful news. 

‘'She rushed madly out to look about but could find 
no sign nor sound of her babies. She was half-crazed 
at the shock, and she never sang another note for 
years. 

“Everything that could be thought of was done to 
find a clue to the children but the Indians were afraid 
to come back as the Government offered big rewards 
for their capture dead or alive. 

“Years passed away and then, one day, a scout from 
the army post miles away galloped in to the village 
and brought news. Some of the soldiers had captured 
a band of marauding Indians who had been trailed for 
miles for horse-stealing and setting fire to places. They 
were surrounded and forced to surrender, and it was 
found that a number of white children were in the 
Tribe. When this fact was ascertained the officers 
at the Post recalled the kidnapping of years before. 
So the scout was sent post-haste to call the parents 
who had lost children to come and see if they could 
identify their own. 

“The people took toys and clothing or photographs 
to try to help the children remember their parents. 
Among the others, the rancher and his wife who had 
lost the girl and boy eagerly travelled to the post, pray- 
ing and hoping that they might find their two dear 
babies, taken away eleven years before. 

“First one mother recognised a child, then another 
one found a mark or a clue that helped her to know 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 


125 


her own child, until, one after another, all had been 
claimed but a lovely girl and a healthy brown-skinned 
boy about a year younger than his sister. 

'‘The settlers felt sure these must be the children 
lost by the poor mother. She showed toys, little ar- 
ticles of clothing, and in many ways tried to identify 
the two, but they only shook their heads sadly, for 
they were too young to remember those things at the 
time they were stolen. 

“The father was heart-broken, for he had been sure 
he would find his children with the others, so he went 
to get his team, while the poor woman dropped upon 
the grass and held her head in her arms, rocking back 
and forth in her misery. 

“Suddenly, the mother remembered how she used to 
rock her babies and sing to them. She sat up and 
started to sing their favourite lullaby. 

“As she sang, the girl caught hold of the boy’s hand 
and both children gazed eagerly at the singer. Then, 
before the end of the first verse, the girl began hum- 
ming the air with the woman, and when the mother 
anxiously began the second verse both children sang, 
the melody in unison with the mother, although they 
did not remember the English words. At the end of 
the song, such happiness and rejoicing was there that 
not a dry eye was to be seen. 

“A scout was sent racing for the father, and when 
he heard how the lullaby the mother always sang to 
the children was the means of again restoring his 
two dear ones, he cried with happiness and gratitude. 


126 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘‘The interpreter who stood by heard the story of 
the excited girl and told the parents that the little sis- 
ter had often tried to calm her crying baby brother 
by singing the lullaby to him. So the song brought 
the four beloved members of the family together 
again.” 

When Elena concluded her story, several of the chil- 
dren had tearful eyes, but Teddy exclaimed, “Dey am 
bad Injuns! Not like good Woodcraf’ Injuns!” 

“Miss Miller, you promised we could dance this 
afternoon, and soon it will be time to leave here and 
there will not have been any dancing!” cried Billy, 
aggrievedly. 

“If we choose a short song there is no reason why 
we shouldn’t sing and dance too,” amended Miss Mil- 
ler. 

“What shall we sing?” cried Edith, jumping up on 
her feet. 

“ ‘Hark, Hark, the Dogs do Bark !’ ” rejoined 
Betty. 

Every one knew it so the Brownies stood in a ring 
all ready to act the song as pleased them best. 

The children sang and thoroughly enjoyed the bark- 
ing and the acting of beggars appealing to each other 
for alms. This over, Nita caught the long piano scarf 
of white silk and began dancing the Storm Cloud 
Dance. 

Another loud round of applause made Nita return 
a sweeping bow as famous stars on the stage gener- 
ally do. Then the Guide had a suggestion to make. 


STORY TELLING AND DANCING 


127 

‘‘Nita, I wonder how the dances would look if they 
were danced in camp uniform? Sometimes, the cos- 
tume has a lot to do with making the dance graceful 
looking, but most of our Brownies have no leather 
dresses as yet, and will have to perform in bloom- 
ers.” 

‘T’ll loan Nita my camp uniform and she can dance 
again for us,” suggested Zan. 

While Zan and Nita were upstairs Billy did the 
Lone Scout dance for the company and before he had 
quite finished the two girls returned, Nita dressed in 
Camp bloomers and blouse. 

This time the Storm Cloud and Scalp Dance went 
off with a vigour because Zan had found Bob’s drum 
upstairs and brought it to beat time in imitation of 
a Tom-tom. 

Edith hastily sketched Nita in the uniform, and 
felt decidely pleased with her work. So much so, 
that she felt as if the others should commend her 
art. 

The moment Elena saw the drawings she recog- 
nised an unusual freedom of style and reality that 
could be readily trained. 

The sketches were passed about and every one 
praised them, to Edith’s delight. Zan even went so 
far as to say that the likeness to Nita was remarkable 
— especially the hands and feet! 

In spite of the laughter which this remark occa- 
sioned, Miss Miller patted Edith on the shoulder and 
said, ‘T am so glad to find a budding genius in our 


128 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


Brownie Band. Now, you shall take care of the 
Brownie Tally Book.” 

This pleased Edith more than anything else, for 
her sister was Tally Keeper of her Tribe and Edith 
had secretly yearned for the time to come when she 
could also show an honourable office. 

''Edith, I want to paste these pictures in the Brownie 
Tally Book — will you see to it?” asked Miss Miller, 
as the sheet of paper was placed between the leaves 
of the book. 

"I’d like to colour them first, Miss Miller. I have 
some crayons at home that will colour them in the 
right way, and then the sketches will look more like 
real pictures,” said Edith. 

"Just as you prefer, but they are too good to throw 
away, or to lose track of, so colour them if you like 
and see that they are properly fastened in the book,” 
returned the Guide. 

"It must be time to adjourn,” now suggested Jane. 

"Yes, and we must all be sure to be here on time 
in the morning for the chauffeurs will not wait for any 
tardy ones,” advised Hilda. 

"Oh, we’ll be on time, all right !” exclaimed Paul. 


CHAPTER SEVEN 


A WEEK END CAMP ON THE PALISADES 

S ATURDAY morning every one who expected to 
go to the Palisade Camp was up and bustling 
about. The members who lived at some distance were 
to be called for before the others, then one after an- 
other would be picked up until the automobiles were 
filled with children and baggage. 

The three cars started from Miss Miller’s home — 
the last house on the route — about seven-thirty, and 
great was the excitement along the way as the chauf- 
feurs sped the machines swiftly through the city and 
over the meadows toward the Hudson River. 

In about an hour’s time the Tribe reached the woods 
that fringe the heavier timber growth crowning the 
heights of the Palisades of the Hudson. 

The cars followed the road — the old Revolutionary 
Turnpike — but just before they reached the sleepy old 
town of Fort Lee they turned off to a private road 
that ran to the crests. 

The fine house situated upon a knoll of the Palisades 
was soon reached and Mrs. P'arland, Miss Miller’s 
friend, came out to greet the Woodcrafters. 

“Good-morning, everybody! Up with the birds, I 
129 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


130 

see!’^ she called, gaily waving a scarf, as she hurried 
down the steps of the verandah, ‘T am going to direct 
you how to find the camp-ground. My boys were 
there yesterday and put up the tents and cots, besides 
arranging the summer-house just back of the camp-site 
so you can use it for a Council meeting if you like.’^ 

Mrs. Farland was introduced to each member of 
Wako Tribe, and the greeting most pleasing to the 
Big Lodge was this : ‘T have heard all about you 
girls through your book called ‘The Woodcraft Girls 
at Camp.’ I so enjoyed your experiences on the farm 
last summer, that I introduced myself to Miss Miller 
last Fall on purpose to hear more of you.” 

As the automobiles came nearer the spot chosen for 
camp, the children saw a gardener pulling up stubbly 
bushes and wildweed growth so as to clear a wide 
circle about the tents. The three great white canvas 
tents looked mighty fascinating to the Brownies for 
this would be their first taste of sleeping out of doors. 

The summer-house was a very artistic structure built 
with cobble stone pillars and heavily thatched roof. 
The view from this spot was truly magnificent — the 
majestic Hudson as it rolled along between high banks 
being visible for miles up and down its course. 

“I’ll explain why we selected a site so near the house. 
This is the first outdoor camp you children have made 
and it is in the woods far enough to give a feeling 
of freedom, while it is near enough to the house in case 
of need to easily summon me with a horn.” 

The girls thanked their considerate hostess, and she 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


131 

turned to leave, repeating that they must be sure to 
run over for anything they might need. 

The moment Mrs. Farland left, calling the gardener 
to accompany her, the Tribe ran about inspecting 
everything. 

Inside the tents, not only were cots and blankets 
ready for the night, but pots and dishes were also 
piled up in a corner where Miss Miller would see 
them. In one tent were several fur rugs with a note 
pinned on the corner of the leopard skin. 

“ ‘These will look pretty at Council when you hold 
it in the summer-house,’ ” read the Guide. 

“Goodness, it’s a first-class summer resort all ready- 
made without cost to us !” laughed Zan, hunching her 
shoulders in delight, being a way she had when pleased. 

“Now that we are done inspecting, what is the next 
thing on the programme?” asked Miss Miller. 

“Something to eat !” promptly replied Paul. 

“Oh, Paul! Will you ever learn to be polite?” 
groaned Hilda. 

“Well, I’m hungry too, and I don’t want to be im- 
polite?” declared Edith. 

“Why! You said at breakfast that you couldn’t 
eat a morsel — you had no appetite!” remonstrated 
Billy. 

“That was different ! I couldn’t eat a crumb at the 
breakfast table ’cause there was a big lump in my 
throat so I just couldn’t swallow a mouthful !” defend- 
ed Edith. 

Miss Miller laughed for she understood the nervous 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


132 

excitement the children felt that morning’. Conse- 
quently, she said, 'T think we can all enjoy a bit of 
refreshment. I will see if we have anything that 
can be readily prepared.” 

'T brought several Thermos bottles of milk and 
some boxes of crackers. Miss Miller,” offered Zan, 
running to a basket that was sitting with the boxes 
and bundles in the tent. 

“Oh, what a blessing! It is just the thing!” sighed 
the Guide, assisting Zan in unpacking the bottles and 
boxes. 

While they sat leisurely about eating crackers and 
sipping the milk, the Big Lodge made plans for the 
time in camp. 

“We will take turns cooking, making beds and help- 
ing the Brownies. We can hold Council in the sum- 
mer-house where seats are already fixed around the 
octagon floor; wood is to be had for the picking up, 
and this space about the tents is so well cleared that 
there is no danger of our camp-fire spreading. Too, it 
is so even that our games and dancing can be thor- 
oughly enjoyed without stumbling over rough places,” 
remarked the Guide. 

“Tt surely is an exceptional camp ! I never dreamed 
we would find everything so perfectly lovely!” said 
Elena, to whom the view, the old-fashioned flower- 
garden just on the other side of the stone wall, and 
the site of the summer-house, appealed in all their 
beauty. 

“We ought to express our appreciation and grati- 


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A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


133 

tude to the One Spirit who led us to this delightful 
spot. Shall we sing the Omaha Prayer?” ventured 
Miss Miller. 

With one accord, the children jumped up and stood 
ready to sing. Their clear young voices rang out 
with the soul of their joy sounding in every tone. 

When the song was ended, Billy held up a hand 
in salute and said, “O Chief!” 

“Yes?” 

“I brought some folk-song books from home — shall 
we try some of them now?” asked he. 

“We will be very glad to sing them later. I think 
the children would prefer a scamper through the woods 
now. But we will remember your thoughtfulness in 
bringing the books by trying a few songs as soon as 
we return to camp,” replied the Guide. 

Teddy and Tammy showed a preference for the 
steps of the summer-house where the skins had been 
spread. During the singing of the Omaha, they sat 
on the lower step, and when Billy made his sugges- 
tion they listened anxiously for nothing must pass un- 
heard by them! 

As Billy sat down, Tammy jumped up and held 
aloft a dimpled hand, saying, “O Shief !” 

The children laughed approvingly but Teddy 
frowned at his aide’s unusual bravado, and pulled him 
quickly down to the seat on the rug. Finding Tammy 
did not protest, Teddy held up his own hand and cried 
loudly, “O Chief!” 

This brought forth a heartier laugh from the circle 


134 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


of Woodcrafters, for it was well understood that 
Tammy must take second place wherever Teddy was. 

“Well, boys?” asked Zan, smiling encouragement. 

Tammy suddenly hid his face back of Teddy’s 
shoulder but Teddy replied, “Nuffin! We is dus doin’ 
like Billy do!” 

“Billet Doux! That’s great!” laughed Zan, clap- 
ping her hands. 

The conclusion of this first Council was never heard, 
for the wild barking of some dogs on the other 
side of the stone wall caused the Woodcrafters to 
jump on the seats and railing of the summer-house 
to see what was the cause of the excitement at the 
kennels. 

Suddenly, a chipmunk scampered upon the wall and 
thence jumped clear to the roof of the summer-house 
and soon was hidden in a tiny house built on the peak 
of the thatched roof. 

“Oh, how cute ! He lives up there !” cried Billy. 

But all the coaxing of the combined forces of Wako 
Tribe could not tempt the chipmunk to come forth 
while they stood about anxiously waiting. 

“I can climb up this pillar and soon bring him down 
if you want to see him,” bragged Paul. 

But the loud denunciations of such a thing soon 
made Paul understand that Woodcraft meant more 
than he dreamed of. 

The Guide whispered to Zan, “Let us start the hike 
and take the children away from here. The chip- 
munk will soon feel safe with us around his home, but 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


135 

just now the Brownies are too excited to listen to 
advice from us.” 

In a few moments, therefore, every one was ready 
to start. 

'*Miss Miller, while we are tramping through the 
fringe of the woods here, suppose we march in line, 
one behind the other while singing that inspiring March 
song written by Arthur Farwell,” suggested Zan, sud- 
denly, while Teddy and Tammy were running to take 
Billy’s hands. 

‘"Great ! I’ll tell you what ! We will all march about 
the summer-house, once, to fall in step, singing as 
we march, then keep on marching until we conclude 
the song!” cried the Guide, enthusiastically, for the 
Big Lodge knew that marching song was one of the 
teacher’s favourites; she was trying to have it in- 
troduced in every public school and kindergarten as 
a universal school-marching song. 

“Miss Miller must lead off — ^the Big Lodge, each 
with a Brownie, follow, and I will march last with 
Teddy and Tammy,” planned Zan. 

So the Tribe started off on their hike by circling the 
summer-house once, and then marching along the 
winding footpath through the woods, all singing with 
a genuine sense of the words and harmony given in 
Arthur Farwell’s inspiring song. 

The march-song was finished just before they 
reached the wild woods, and every one was in the 
right frame of mind to listen to Miss Miller. “We 
are going to trail through this great primitive forest 


136 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 






March, march, march, march! 
March, comrades, march along, • 
March, march, march, march, 
March, a hundred million strong! 
On through dark and battle’s roar, 
On where none has dared before, 
On to pay the ages’ score; 

March, march, march! 





A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


137 


Forward, comrades, 

March, march forever, 

Up with the break of day. 

Out on the trackless way ! 

Ours the will that must and can. 
Ours to crown creation’s plan. 
Ours to win the world for man: 
March, comrades, march! 

March, march, march, march! 
March, comrades, march along, 
March, march, march, march, 
March, a hundred million strong! 
Prince of Peace, uphold our trust 
Though we face the battle thrust: 
Fight we shall while fight we must: 
March, march, march ! 

Forward, comrades, 

March, march forever. 

Up with the break of day. 

Out on the trackless way ! 

Love to hate shall never yield 
While the sword of God we wield: 
On to Armageddon’s field: 

March, comrades, march ! 

March, march, march, march! 

March, comrades, march along, 
March, march, march, march, 
March, a hundred million strong! 
One in vision, one in will. 

We shall carry Zion’s hill, 

God is in His Heaven still: 

March, march, march ! 

Forward, comrades, 

March, march forever. 

Up with the break of day. 

Out on the trackless way! 

Ours the heart to dare and do. 
Ours the Promised Land to view. 
Ours to build the world anew: 
March, march, march ! 


where no white man has ever trod — only the children 
of the Great Spirit, the True and Brave Indian can 
find the pathway through this wilderness! Not only 


138 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

the Red Man who first was found by Columbus to 
be living on this land, but every True and Brave child 
of the Great Spirit who is winning honours with the 
‘Chief,’ for every good quality needed to find the end 
of the trail — meekness, courage, humility, gratitude, 
dauntless in truth, forward in the right, greatest in 
divine love — these are the characteristics of the True 
and Brave Indian! 

“As we journey, like Hiawatha, we shall talk with 
wild creatures of the silent places; we may read 
heaven’s messages from the leaves of the trees or 
a lowly vine; we will soar upward on wings of light 
to join the chorus of birds praising the Giver; and 
we may revel joyously amidst the sweet perfume of 
each flower that freely scatters its fragrance abroad! 

“Now! who will follow this Trail and obey the 
First Law — ‘Be Obedient to One in Authority’?” de- 
clared Miss Miller, emphatically. 

As one voice, the members of the Tribe shouted, 
“We will!” 

Miss Miller smiled with pleasure at the unanimous 
cry, and walked on in silence for a few minutes. Then, 
she said, “I wonder how many of you Woodcrafters 
realise that you are on the highway to winning vari- 
ous honours? The bird-house, making the bird-bath, 
then making a lunch-counter. When the birds have 
used these, you may claim honours for them. You 
already have taken the honour for walking three miles 
and relating the account of it; and you have won 
honours for handicraft, and other work. 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


139 

'‘Since we arrived in camp, I have thought of many 
ways our Brownies can win honours during this week- 
end.’’ 

"Tell us how, Miss Miller!” exclaimed Dot, eagerly. 

"I can take most of the Brownie honours. Miss Mil- 
ler,” added Edith, looking at Dot in compassion. 

"I should hope you would, Edith, with all the ex- 
perience and opportunities at your home,” replied the 
Guide, in a tone meant to bring Edith back to earth. 

"Pooh! I can take those honours just as easy!” 
said Billy, not to be handicapped by his younger sis- 
ter. 

"Yes, and you will have to prove your superior 
knowledge in Woodcraft by helping me teach the 
Brownies. Both Edith and you are classed with Wood 
Brownies, I know, but you must show us what you 
know, or we can not award honours,” said the Guide, 
anxious to hold up the ambition of these two Woodr- 
crafters but not permit them to feel the present asso- 
ciation with new beginners was to be considered as a 
condescension on their part. 

The Woodcrafters had not gone far before Teddy 
ran to a small clearing in the woods where dandelions 
blossomed in profusion. He pulled up a flower and 
rushed back to Zan with it. 

"Teddy knows him! Him a dannylion!” cried he. 

"Hurrah for Teddy ! He knew the wildflower that 
caught him napping last week !” laughed Zan. 

"Tammy know him too,” pouted Tammy. 


140 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


'‘Then run and pick a great big one, dearie, and take 
it to Miss Miller,” urged Zan. 

Tammy sought anxiously for the largest flower he 
could find, passing by small dandelions in his quest. 
Soon, he came running, with both hands filled with 
wide-open blossoms to present to the Guide. 

“Pooh! They’re nothing but dandelions ! Anyone 
knows that much,” said Paul, scornfully. 

“Can you tell a wild flower for each year of your 
age as Tammy and Teddy have done?” asked Miss 
Miller, who felt that Paul needed stern training after 
the years of spoiling by a doting mother and an easy- 
going sister. He showed traits of selfishness, laziness, 
envy, and a fondness of over-eating that Woodcraft 
training would eliminate. 

“Of course I can — that’s easy!” braggM Paul. 

“Very well! Brownies and Big Lodge! Paul is 
going to gather and tell us all about ten wild flowers, 
not counting the dandelion which is too common to 
mention,” said the Guide. 

Soon after this Paul spied a buttercup and then he 
found a daisy. Of course he could tell about them, 
but he still had nine flowers to find and describe. 

A wood-violet was discovered by Billy, but seek 
everywhere Paul could not find one for himself. How- 
ever, he found an anemone but he could not give the 
correct name for it, so Miss Miller said it wouldn’t 
count. 

“Oh, ho! See what I’ve found!” cried Edith, fall- 
ing upon her knees in the grass. 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 


141 


The Brownies rushed over to the spot and saw a 
group of sweet little hepaticse, but Paul could not 
give the name for these little flowers, either. 

For ten minutes, the Brownies sought diligently but 
no new flower was found until a shout from Paul 
drew them over to his side. He had almost stepped 
upon a Jack-in- the-Pulpit, and he was very proud to 
find it for he instantly called it by name. 

A wonderful spot of crimson glowed under some 
dark-green leaves, and Paul, in shoving aside the rank 
grass with his foot, saw it. He made a swift dash for 
it and found a trailing plant with berries growing 
near the stem. It was very damp in that particular 
place and the ground seemed rich and black. Pie 
plucked it up quickly and ran back to show the others 
his find. 

“Do you know it asked Miss Miller. 

“No, I never saw one before, but isn’t it pretty!” 
said Paul, admiring the graceful vine. 

“It is the winter-green, or checker-berry — some call 
it tea-berry, and it is good to eat. It grows in wet 
spots anywhere from Maine to Minnesota, and south- 
ward. You will find it from May to September, in all 
of its glory and profusion of growth.” 

Further explanation was interrupted by Betty who 
had found a beautiful wild Columbine. She ran over 
to the Guide with her prize and the children were asked 
if they knew the legend in connection with Columbine. 
They did not, so Miss Miller told them to look it up 
and have it ready to tell some time at Council. 


142 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


Paul found a wild-strawberry blossom growing in 
a sunny spot of the woods, but he wasn’t sure whether 
it was a wild black-berry or something else, so that 
did not count for him. 

Miss Miller smiled as she thought of his brag, and 
he began to feel anxious for he discovered it was not 
so easy to name a wild flower for each year of his 
age and he wished he had not scorned the younger 
children for their flower-telling. 

The deeper woods were entered and rocks and 
fern grew luxuriantly, but Paul saw no other wild- 
flowers beside the ones already found. 

‘T wish some Brownies would tell us about the 
trees or ferns in passing by. No one has said a word 
of these old friends, yet I’m sure they have all been 
waiting anxiously for recognition,” remarked Miss 
Miller. 

‘‘Dear me, there is so much to see! Maybe we’d 
better leave the trees until we come back !” cried Edith. 

The Guide laughed. “I am glad to hear you so in- 
terested but I know folks who would stroll through 
the woods and say, ‘Oh, it was the dullest walk! 
Why, there wasn’t a thing to see or talk about !’ ” 

The Tribe laughed merrily at the Guide’s imitation 
of blase people who took no interest in the beauty 
about them. 

“Let us begin on the trees now. There is plenty 
of time and I can see plenty of trees to practice 
upon,” suggested Zan. 

“Miss Miller, won’t it be a good idea to make little 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 143 

sketches of the leaves and blossoms of the trees in 
the woods? It will help the Brownies to remember 
each one and some time they can draw pictures of 
them in their Tally Books to refer to if they are not 
quite sure of the name or habits of a certain tree/’ 
asked Elena, the artist of the group. 

“Yes, Elena, I think that will be very good — did 
you bring your pencil or paper?” returned the Guide. 

“No. But ril gather the branches and do the draw- 
ing as soon as we get back to camp.” 

“Why not do the same thing with flowers and fern, 
Elena?” asked Hilda. 

“Pd rather have the Brownies do their own work 
with the blue-prints or press-photography,” hurriedly 
added the Guide. 

On that walk through the woods the Brownies 
learned the names and how to know the oak, chest- 
nut, pine, hazehnut, hickory, and the beech-nut trees. 
Then, upon returning to camp. Miss Miller found an 
old white elm tree just back of the summer-house, so 
there was plenty of work to do in forestry study. 

Jane helped Elena to gather some good specimen 
of the branches and leaves of the trees mentioned, 
and Miss Miller said she had a small pocket-edition 
of forest-trees that would come in very well in de- 
scribing the habits and forms of each tree. 

“I think the Brownies ought to study about these 
trees while they are on the spot and feel a deeper 
interest in it than will be possible when they are 


144 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 



Hazel Leaf and Blossom 



Beech Blossom 



American Chestnut 


Hazel Bud and Catkin 




Beech Nuts 



A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 145 

back in town with other things to interest them/’ ad- 
vised Zan. 

‘T approve of that idea so we will take it up as 
soon as we return to camp/’ added Miss Miller. 

With this plan in view the walk was shortened and 
all were back in camp eager to hear the Guide talk 
about the trees, while Elena produced hasty sketches to 
illustrate the leaves and flowers of each tree, as it was 
taken up for study. 

“Some of these pictures you will And to have flow- 
ers or fruit, but I did that so you can remember it 
when you And a flower or nut. These are copied from 
Miss Miller’s booklet, but many of them do not flower 
or bear fruit until later in the season,” explained 
Elena. 

Dinner at camp that day was most interesting for 
the Brownies had to find the wood, and many a shriek 
sounded as a little Brownie turned over an old de- 
cayed log to find long wriggly things steal away into 
a hole in the ground, or burrow into the rotted wood. 

Then, too, the bees and bugs insisted upon steal- 
ing their share of the jam and cake, so that Teddy 
and Tammy were self-appointed to shoo them away. 

The meal was nearly finished when Miss Miller 
suggested that they hear Billy render a Folk Song or 
demonstrate some new Indian dance. Later, the other 
Brownies could take part, also. 

Billy was always glad to sing or dance so he thought 
for a few minutes before deciding to sing and dem- 


146 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

onstrate the old, old French Folk Song, called ‘Ta 
Bergere.’’ 

*'Let us be seated in the summer-house so Billy can 
dance on the hard-wood floor,” suggested Miss Miller. 

In a few moments every one was in the summer- 
house and Billy introduced his song. 

‘'Mother says this traditional Folk Song is about 
as old as any known to-day. It is sung by French 
and Belgian folk but it is really one of the old French 
songs. I brought the verses in case Miss Miller 
wanted to teach you kids the words.” 

A smile went around the circle of expectant faces 
at Billy's unusual use of slang, but he failed to notice 
it and cleared his throat to sing and act. 


LA BERGERE 



Qui gardait ses moutons. 


A CAMP ON THE PALISADES 

2 

Elle fit un fromage, 

Et ron, ron, ron, petit patapon; 

Elle fit un fromage 
Du lait de ses moutons, 

Ron, ron, 

Du lait de ses moutons. 


H7 


3 

Le chat qui la regarde, 

Et ron, ron, ron, petit patapon; 
Le chat qui la regarde, 

D’un petit air f^ripon, 

Ron, ron, 

D’un petit air fripon. 


4 

Si tu y mets la patte 
Et ron, ron, ron, petit patapon; 
Si tu y mets la patte 
Tu auras du baton. 

Ron, ron, 

Tu auras du baton. 


5 

II n’y mit pas la patte, 

Et ron, ron, ron, petit patapon; 
II n’y mit pas la patte, 

II y mit le menton, 

Ron, ron, 

II y mit le menton. 


The Brownies were highly amused when Billy acted 
the part of the little cat, and went through with the? 
various exciting incidents that happened in that cot- 
tage. 

The moment the singer bowed, a loud applause en- 
cored him but Miss Miller said Billy had made a fine 
contribution, and it was time others did their share. 


148 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

‘‘Why can’t we try to learn Billy’s song now?” 
asked Dot. 

“Any one else want to learn it?” questioned Zan. 

It seemed that all of the Brownies liked it so well 
they had Billy sing the music again and again till they 
could memorise the air. Full an hour was passed in 
this entertainment, and then Miss Miller said it would 
be fine to walk down the steep path to the river-bank 
and look for a possible place where they might bathe. 

“The rest of you go while I stay in camp and do 
some sketching. Some one ought to remain here and 
take care of the things too, I think,” said Elena. 

Miss Miller thought over the suggestion for a mo- 
ment, then said, “I think we are too near the house 
and garden to be annoyed by any one, although Elena 
may remain if she will choose a companion to stay with 
her.” 

“Oh, I’m not afraid to be alone,” laughed Elena. 

“I’m sure you’re not afraid, but I will be more at 
ease if you have some one with you,” replied the 
Guide. 

“I’ll stay and help copy the song. I don’t care to 
slide down that cliff and crawl up again,” laughed 
Nita. 

“All right, you two girls remain, but should any 
one come along or stop to watch you, or the camp, ’ 
just blow this horn. I think they will run at that 
sound!” declared the Guide. 


CHAPTER EIGHT 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 

T he evening meal was prepared early enough to 
allow ample time for the Brownies to sit about 
and talk before bedtime. As it had been a full day of 
pleasure, the Guide thought they ought to be in bed 
before twilight, although the children thought that 
would be an insult to the evening. 

“If we have to go to bed so dreadful early we won’t 
see any stars!” hinted Edith. 

“Oh, I think you will! It will not be so light,” 
returned Zan. 

“Meantime, I know Zan has an Indian tale to tell 
us,” suggested Miss Miller, trying to divert attention 
from Edith’s remark. 

“How ! How !” shouted the Brownies, eagerly 
“Had I known there would have been such an ova- 
tion given the Guide’s very suggestion, I would have 
provided a story, but now, I must say, I am told out !” 
laughed Zan. 

“Make one up!” exclaimed Dot. 

“Tell us one of those you mentioned as being in 
the books from the Smithsonian Library at Washing- 
ton,” advised Jane. 


149 


150 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

'Xet me see — I guess Fll tell them about Red- 
feather,” replied Zan, after a few moments of thought. 

“Red feather was a young man who was the best 
hunter in the Indian village. He owned more bear- 
skin and sealskin blankets than any three men in the 
tribe. Everybody was jealous of his skill and of 
his wealth. They turned their backs when he walked 
near them. 

“His uncle, the chief of the village, hated him. 
He feared that some time Red feather might want 
to be chief, so he would lie awake at night thinking 
of some way to get rid of him. 

; i “He tried one plan after another, but Redfeather 
was too clever to be caught. So one day he boiled 
some pitch and while it was still hot and sticky he 
spread it on the seat of his canoe and covered it over 
with the down of eagles. Then he sent for Red- 
feather. 

' “ 'My son,* said the chief, 'take my canoe and go 

hunting. I will send one of my braves to help you. 
See how many seals you can bring back.* 

; “Suspecting nothing, Redfeather got into the canoe 
with the brave and paddled out to sea. Suddenly, he 
saw a seal floating on a piece of ice, but when he 
tried to get up to throw his harpoon he could not 
move. He was stuck fast in the pitch. 

“The uncle*s servant had been waiting for this to 
happen; so, seizing the helpless youth by the waist, 
he threw him — board and all— into the water. He 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


151 

then returned to the village and told the chief that 
Red feather would hunt no more! 

''But the board was very light and it drifted with 
the wind and waves all that day and into the next day. 
On the second day, however, the wind blew stronger 
and after a time Red feather was washed ashore. 

"He crawled out upon the beach and sat with his 
back to the sun. As the pitch softened in the warm 
sun-rays, he squirmed and twisted until at last he 
was free. Standing up, he raised his hand toward 
the heavens and swore a mighty oath never to love 
another until he had punished the man who had sent 
him out to die. 

"Then he turned and walked along the beach won- 
dering which way to go. He had gone a short dis- 
tance when he saw two beautiful girls coming to- 
ward him. He ran to them, told them what had 
happened to him and asked what country he was in. 

" 'Do not fear,' said one of the girls. 'My father 
is the chief of this country and he will take care of 
you. Come with me; the village is near by.' 

"She led the way, and Redfeather followed. When 
they came within sight of the village he stopped, 
looked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. Three 
men covered with eagle feathers were sitting on a pole 
before a wigwam. As he watched, one of them arose, 
flapped his wings and flew away. 

" 'They are evil spirits !' cried Redfeather, turning 
to run away. 

" 'Do not be frightened,' said the chief's daugh- 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


152 

ter, holding him by the hand. 'They are not spirits — 
they are men. All my people have eagle skins and 
when they put them on they can fly about like birds. 
Come, I will show you.’ 

"So, Red feather was led to the village where the 
men were sitting on the pole. 

" 'My father,’ said the girl, 'this is a stranger who 
has been cast ashore in our country. I found him 
and told him you would take care of him.’ 

"One of the men jumped down from the pole and 
took off his eagle-skin, then Redfeather saw that he 
was an old man, very tall and with a kind face. He 
was the chief. When he heard Redfeather’s story he 
gave him welcome to the tribe and bade him make 
his home there. 

"So, Redfeather lived with the chief and learned 
how to dress himself in an eagle-skin and fly away 
out to sea to hunt for food with the other men of 
the tribe. Every morning they gathered on the long 
pole before the chief’s wigwam and decided where to 
hunt that day. Then they separated and every eve- 
ning each one returned with his catch — salmon or red 
cod or porpoises. Sometimes one would catch a 
whale, and the whole village had a feast. 

"Redfeather became very skilful in the use of his 
eagle-skin, so that it was generally he who caught a 
whale, by swooping down from high in the air and 
seizing it in his strong talons. And each day’s catch 
he laid at the feet of Dawn, the beautiful daughter 
of the chief. 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


153 

“She thanked him, smiling, her soft brown eyes 
filled with admiration. But Red feather dared not 
tell her that he loved her, for he remembered his oath. 

“One day he felt very strong, so he beat his wings 
together and flew out to sea. In the distance he saw 
two whales diving and blowing foam and water high 
in the air. Like an arrow he darted down, seized a 
whale in each talon and carried them home. Then 
he knew he was ready! 

“Up along the coast he flew, swiftly, strongly, until 
he looked down upon his uncle’s village. The people 
saw him and shot at him with their arrows, but he 
made himself very small inside the eagle skin so that 
they could not hit him. Each time they shot at him 
he flew lower. 

“Soon a big crowd gathered, and in their midst he 
saw his uncle, their chief. Red feather flashed down, 
seized him by the top of his head and dragged him 
off the ground. 

“A great shout went up and some one grasped the 
chief by the feet to pull him back, but he, too, was 
carried up. Another took hold of the would-be res- 
cuer’s feet, and another caught hold of the third 
man’s feet, and still another grasped his feet, until the 
entire village was being swept upward and held dan- 
gling high in the air. 

“Red feather flew far out to sea and dropped them 
all into the water, where they turned to islands and 
may be seen to this day scattered all around that part 
of the ocean. 


154 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘‘Then Redfeather felt he had fulfilled his oath and 
was free again. He flew back to his village and took 
Dawn to be his wife, and at the death of the old 
man, her father, Redfeather became chief of all the 
Tribe of Eagles.” 

Zan ended her tale and the Brownies sighed — then 
asked questions. 

“Why didn’t he just let the bad Indians alone?” 
asked Dot. 

“Maybe he thought they would come some day and 
kill him,” replied Zan. 

“How could they know he was alive! I don’t 
like him to drown so many people,” remonstrated 
Betty. 

“But if he had not dropped the bad people into the 
sea, we never would have had any islands, you see!” 
replied Jane, laughing. 

“Teddy’s mudder’s dot an ilan’ way yup in Maine!” 
declared the little fellow, proudly. 

“Maybe it was the big chief dropped by Red- 
feather!” suggested Nita. 

The Brownie thought this over for a time, but Miss 
Miller spoke. 

“I like the quaintness and wild imagination given 
in Indian Folk Lore, but I do not care for the sug- 
gestion of vengeance and cruelty they generally give. 
I would advise you girls to always preface your stories 
with an emphatic assurance that these tales 'are not 
true,' but Indian fairy-tales, told some times to 
naughty Indian papooses to make them behave.” 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


155 

^^ril Impress that at once/’ added Zan. ^‘Brownies, 
you see, Red feather’s story was made up to teach the 
little Indians that greed and hate never won in the 
end. But bravery, courage and generosity were re- 
warded. Red feather was treated badly, although he 
never harmed one of his people, and when he was 
thrown into the sea to die, the Great Spirit heard 
his silent cry for help, for the youth had always been 
honest. So, he was saved.” 

‘‘Tell us another Indian story I” begged Edith. 

“Let Elena tell it — she read one of the legends,” 
responded Zan. 

“Oh, I can’t tell it nearly as good as Zan does!” 
returned Elena. 

“All the more reason for you to practise — come 
on!” persisted Zan. 

Elena glanced around, but found every one waiting 
for her to do her part, so she got up and told the 
story of the “First People.” 

“My children, if you will sit here before the fire 
and not ask too many foolish questions, I will tell 
you of a time that was many, many moons ago — so 
long ago that the Sun was young and little, like a fire- 
fly, and the Evening Star was still unborn. Even the 
Indian had not yet come to earth. 

“There were no men in the world — there was only 
a great place filled with the First People. These peo- 
ple were all spirits like gods, and they were more 
than the sands on the shore or the leaves on the 


156 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

trees. So many they were that even I cannot count 
so far. 

'‘Each spirit had a name. One was called the Fox, 
another the Raven, another the Eel. They were not 
animals, however. Their names were the names of 
animals, that is all. They lived happily together and 
there was no fighting and no harsh words or hatred. 

"Thus the First People lived for a long, long time. 
And in this time many strange things came to pass, 
but of them I cannot speak now — already the camp- 
fire is burning low. 

"Then came a time when the minds of the First 
People filled with bad thoughts. Some grew cunning, 
some cruel, some lazy, some greedy, and some boast- 
ful; some became too swift and others too strong, 
while some were slow or others too weak. 

"The Great Spirit had been very patient all this time 
of the First People’s turning from Him, but He be- 
came very angry when they would not hear, and 
He cried out against them until a dreadful thing came 
to pass. 

"They all changed into animals and birds and crea- 
tures that crawl or fly or swim. And some became 
trees and some flowers and some hail or rain, and 
others thunder and lightning — each one according to 
his wicked habits. 

"But all did not change at the same time. Only 
when they disobeyed the Great Spirit did they change. 
Or when one was not willing to follow the Right — 
did he change. 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


157 


“Thus, the Fox, because of his cunning, took the 
form of an animal called the fox to this day. Grizzly, 
strong in combat, became a bear. Mouse, the timid, 
became even as we know a mouse. And this is true 
of everything that was, and is now in this time: 
Trees, flowers, animals, thunder and lightning! 

“Some of the First People, however, did not grow 
evil, but they feared that was to happen. They de- 
cided to go away — out in the West, where the golden 
sun sets, they went until they came to the place where 
the earth and sky meet. There, they passed through 
a hole in the sky that may be found there, and they 
still live happily with the Great Spirit to govern them 
wisely. 

“But those that stayed behind became worse. Then, 
the Great Spirit made the Indian — which is another 
tale, my children. And He brought them to the coun- 
try of the First People. At the first sign of the 
coming of the bra,ve and true Indian all those First 
People who were changed spirits found their doom. 

“Scoflf not, O Children ! For yonder on that moun- 
tain-side is proof of what I say. There you may see 
two rocks glistening in the sun. One stands upright 
like a person with head turned back in fear of the 
pursuers. The other leans forward like a runner 
speeding away. They were two who had fled before 
the Indians. 

“Thus the Great Spirit created all things good and 
for the joy of His People, but the changelings brought 


158 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

evil and doom, until the Indians were sent to punish 
the wicked First People and keep the Land of Plenty 
forever afterward.” 

This story failed to appeal to the Brownies as much 
as the first one had, but the Big Lodge girls liked it 
better, for it was allegorical and meant a great deal to 
them. What might have followed the relation of the 
tale is not known, for Paul yawned and said, ‘'Oh, 
but Pm tired !” 

“Maybe Edith will show us the Spring Song and 
dance!” suggested the Guide. 

And Edith, always willing to entertain, jumped up. 

The Tribe were then treated to the Spring Dance 
of the Hopi Indians, and as Edith finished the last 
demonstration with a low bow, the Woodcrafters 
clapped their hands with satisfaction. At the same 
moment, the last rays of the setting sun crept through 
an opening between the forest trees and touched the 
dancer’s fair hair, just as a calciurq light flashes upon 
a performer in a theatre. 

“That shaft of sun-light was the last touch of beauty 
that the dance needed, Edith,” complimented Miss 
Miller. 

“It was better than seeing a real star!” laughed 
Zan. 

“I know somefin about a star. Miss Miller,” said 
Betty. 

“But it is my piece, Betty!” quickly remonstrated 
Dot. 



EDITH SHOWED THEM THE DANCE 


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FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


159 


Betty suddenly retired, while Dot stood up and 
said: ‘‘It's a pome my mamma taught me and Zan 
changed a word to make it just fit for Woodcrafters!” 
explained Dot. 

“What's the matter, Dot — are you nervous ?" asked 
Jane, noticing something strange in her cousin's voice. 

Dot flushed uncomfortably and tried to take some- 
thing from her mouth. 

“Dot Hubert ! Are you chewing gum ?" cried Jane. 

Dot shook her head, but did not reply. 

“Dot, have you any gum in your hand?" asked 
Miss Miller. 

“Yes'm!" replied Dot, meekly. 

Before another word was said, Hilda called to Paul. 

“Paul, what is ’that that you are trying to slip out 
of your mouth? I just caught you turning your head 
away." 

Paul kept his face turned away and Hilda repeated : 

“See here, young man! I know you are chewing 
gum, too! Maybe you gave Dot her gum. Did he, 
Dot?" 

Dot was loyal and refused to tell tales. 

“Paul, come out here to the fire-light!" ordered 
Hilda. 

“I don't want to!" whined Paul. 

“But we want you to !" retorted Hilda. 

“You ain't the Guide — not even the Chief !" snapped 
Paul. 

“I am the Guide, and now I ask you to obey any 


i6o LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

one in authority over you. Come over here and obey 
your sister!” said the Guide, sternly. 

Paul looked surprised and then hung his head. 

“The idea — a boy of your age acting so babyish! 
Can’t you be manly 1” exclaimed Hilda. 

“Paul, tell us if you have any gum?” asked Zan, 
impatiently. 

“No, I haven’t!” blurted forth Paul, opening wide 
his mouth to prove the statement. 

Dot gasped, for she knew he had had some. 

“Well, then, did you have any gum before you 
threw it away?” amended Miss Miller. 

Paul refused to answer, so the Guide called to 
Zan: “The Chump Mark for Paul to wear until we 
are back home where all may see it!” 

At that, although Paul was not quite sure what a 
Chump Mark was, he jumped up and ran out to the 
centre of the circle. 

“Yes, yes, yes! I had some gum and I gave Dot 
hers. I found it in the pocket of my sweater!” 

“Of course, you know, Paul, you will have to begin 
all over again to win the honour mentioned in article 
22 of the Manual. And the hardest part is to think 
that you have been the cause of making another 
stumble and fall! Dot, too, must start anew!” said 
the Guide, sadly. 

Dot was very penitent, for she had been tempted 
and the punishment was severe; Paul’s confession 
saved him from wearing the Chump Mark, so he sidled 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


i6i 


back to his seat, while casting a defiant glance at his 
sister. 

Dot, with tears in her eyes, said tremulously, ‘‘Betty, 
you’d better speak that piece — I must be excused!’' 
and she rushed away to bury her face in the blanket 
of a cot-bed. \ 

Betty stood up and waited for Miss Miller to in- 
vite her to speak. 

“We will be very glad to hear the poem, Betty,” 
said the Guide. 

So, gentle little Betty walked over to the fire and 
saluted the Guide, the Chief, and her companions be- 
fore speaking. 

THE brownies’ STAR 


“A puff of fresh Hunt-ing Moon wind 
Blew straight out of the sky; 



And as it travelled towards the earth 
A star began to cry: 


i 62 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 



‘O, friendly wind, please take me too!' 
The wind picked up the star 



And dropped it in a Brownie's Band 
Where happy children are." 

As Betty slowly repeated her lines, Zan placed the 
little star sketches Elena had made to go with the 
lines in the Guide's hands. 

‘T think that is the cutest thing!" laughed Miss 
Miller, when Betty bowed and the pen and ink sketches 
had been examined. “Why not use that for a cap- 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 163 

tion on the Brownies’ Tally Book, page 15, devoted 
to the Stars and Planets?” 

‘We can. I think it is good enough for the Big 
Lodge girls to use for a caption, too !” declared Elena. 

The sky was still too light to show any stars, and 
the Brownies were growing restive from waiting so 
quietly, so Miss Miller said: lively march about 

the summer-house while every one sings will refresh 
us.” 

So, in another minute, the children were marching 
round and round the summer-house singing, ‘^March, 
march, march, march, comrades, march along!” 

There were so many in the Tribe that the parade 
had no beginning and no ending, but Miss Miller led 
them up the steps again, when they had circled the 
summer-house three times. Then she told stories and 
legends of the stars and the winds, and the clouds, 
until the Brownies were not sure whether they were 
modern mortals or ancient immortals. 

Finally Teddy interrupted the entertainment by 
shouting wildly, “Dere’s a ’tar 1” 

The entire group jumped up and ran out of the 
summer-house to look up in the direction Teddy 
pointed out, and sure enough! A faint twinkling in 
the pale Venetian blue dome overhead told them that 
Teddy had found the star lighting its beacon for earth- 
dwellers’ guidance. 

After that first star, the eyes of the Brownies be- 
came accustomed to the evening sky and many stars 
were found shining, and as each was called by name. 


i 64 little WOODCR AFTER’S BOOK 

some little description was given of it, to familiarise 
it in the future. 

When Miss Miller announced that it was time for 
bed, not one Brownie demurred, for this going to bed 
out-of-doors was a great novelty and lots of fun! 

Even the first night sleeping out in the woods, could 
not keep tired little eye-lids open, however, and soon, 
the seven Brownies were fast asleep while the Guide 
and her big girls sat about the dying camp-fire plan- 
ning for the future. Then the Guide scattered the 
ashes of the fire and they all went to bed. 

The drumming on the tom-tom woke up every one 
in the morning and a great scramble ensued, for no 
Brownie felt willing to lose a bit of the fun which 
might be going on. 

Zan and Nita assisted the children to dress, while 
Hilda and the Guide started breakfast; Elena and Jane 
went for water from the spring, nearby. 

“Where shall we wash ?” cried Dot, eagerly looking 
about. 

“Oh, we have a ready-made standing basin in our 
immense bath-room!” retorted Zan, leading the way 
out of the tent and over to the spring. 

In a short time much splashing and shouting told 
the cooks that Nature’s bath-room provided great sport 
for the Brownies. 

“I wish we had this bath-room at home. I wouldn’t 
have to stop to hang up my towels, or feel all around 
in the water for the soap that’s always slippin’ out 
of my wet hands!” laughed Edith. 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 165 

Billy was spattering the bushes and grasses gen- 
erously as he washed a short distance from Edith. 
He looked up with water dripping from hair and eye- 
lashes and said, ‘"Yes, but let me tell you, 'Zan, Edith 
doesn’t hang up the towels. Anna always has to call 
her back.’" 

''How about you ! You never scour the rim of the 
basin when you finish ! Poor Anna has to take cleanser 
and a brush,'’ came from Edith, scathingly. 

The others laughed at the expression on Billy’s 
face, so he just stooped down and threw handfuls of 
water at Edith, who ducked quickly enough to escape, 
but Teddy got the full benefit of the shower to his 
great delight. 

While all this had been taking place, Zan stood 
apart from the group with bowed head and absorbed 
expression. 

Nita suddenly saw her. "What’s the matter, don’t 
you feel well this morning? You are unusually quiet 
and ladylike.” 

Zan laughed at the insinuation, but replied, "I 
am composing! And such a work needs quiet. How 
does this sound to you — all of you! We can make up 
a bath-room song for the words, maybe, and sing it 
every time some one fails to follow the rules. 

" 'The child who would Woodcrafters please 
Will learn to sing these rules with ease. 

Don’t leave wet towels upon the floor. 

But spread them neat when bath is o’er. 


i66 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

Don't let the soap swim like a fish, 

But place it safely in a dish. 

When you have finished with the tub, 

Give it a rinsing and a rub. 

When bathing o’er to bed you go, 

See that the lights are turned off — so! 

Then, to the one whose bath comes next. 

You’ll furnish no sad warning text.’ ” 

Zan finished the rhyme amid the shouts of approval 
from seven Brownies and several of the big members — 
for Miss Miller and Elena had walked over and stood 
back of Zan, listening to the rules. 

'That is good enough to be printed on cards and 
given to every member in the Woodcraft League!” 
declared Miss Miller. 

Suddenly, upon the sweet morning breeze, sounded 
the tom-tom calling all to breakfast. At that, the 
Brownies made a rush for their clothes and then found 
a place about the flat rock where breakfast was 
waiting. 

During the meal Miss Miller said, "Being Sun- 
day, I think our daily programme will be somewhat 
modified. When we have finished, we will give thanks 
to the Great Spirit, and then go to the summer-house 
for a Council meeting.” 

The Council was opened by singing the Omaha 
Prayer, and the Guide then said that all who wished to 
could join her in saying the 23rd Psalm, then the 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 167 

91st Psalm. When these were concluded, Teddy spoke 
up: 

‘Tss church mos’ done?’^ 

'‘All through — ^liave you any comments to offer?'’ 
Zan replied solemnly, while the others laughed. 

Teddy was not quite sure whether Zan was poking 
fun at him or not, but he was bound to take advan- 
tage of the implied offer of assistance. 

"Ess! Brownies wan'ta mek pickshers!” 

"Oh, no, Teddy! I’m sure Brownies won’t want 
to make any pictures this morning — they would rather 
take some with the kodaks,” offered Miss Miller. 

"Ess! Ess!” shrilled Teddy, jumping up to run to 
his tent. 

He was gone before any one could intercept him, 
so they waited for his return. He carried his pre- 
cious little kodak box in his arms and squatted down 
in front of Miss Miller, but he was careful to set the 
box directly before him. 

The Guide spoke reprovingly about Brownies who 
jumped up and left the Council circle without per- 
mission or excuse, and Teddy glowered at Tammy 
who sat smiling benignly upon him. 

Miss Miller paused for a few moments, during 
which Dot begged for a story. 

"We have so many nicer things to do that I’m sure 
you’ll be sorry to use the time for a story. I have 
a song here that was written and sent to me by a 
friend in England, and I thought you might learn it, 
and then we will take some photographs. Then, I 


i68 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


will tell you what I have in mind for you to do to- 
day/’ explained the Guide. 

‘‘Oh, Miss Miller, we are sorry to have spoken out 
of order, when you were about to propose something 
nice!” said the Chief, looking at Dot. 

But Dot paid no heed to the implied rebuke, for 
she was anxious to sing the song promised them. 

“There, I think that will do for to-day. Now, as 
the sun is high enough to take some good pictures, 
the Brownies can try and see how they can succeed 
with their kodaks.” 

No sooner had the Guide spoken than Teddy was 
upon his feet and talking excitedly about the pictures 
he wanted to take. 

“Teddy, come out here in the sunshine and make a 
nice picture of sister!” cried Edith, coaxingly, as she 
posed herself in the bright sunlight. 

“Shall I help you, Teddy?” asked Elena. 

“No, no, no ! Teddy tan mek it !” cried he, fearing 
Elena meant to take the kodak. 

“But, Teddy, you don’t know how to turn the key 
and then one ‘picksher’ will be all ‘nuffin,’ ” remon- 
strated Zan. 

“Teddy tan turn him !” shouted Ee, stamping his 
foot to emphasise the fact. 

“Let him try, girls. It won’t make much difference 
if he does lose one or two. He will learn by ex- 
perience,” suggested Miss Miller. 

They all stood back of the amateur photographer 
as he focussed the little kodak. They watched every 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 169 

movement of the chubby little hands and were amazed 
to see him handle the box just like an experienced 
snap-shooter. 

Edith posed and remained perfectly quiet while 
Teddy looked anxiously in the small reflector to see 
when the picture was straight, then he slowly pushed 
the trigger over until it clicked. 

‘‘Ha, ha! Teddy dot dat one!” yelled he, jumping 
up and down in his excitement and tripping over a 
bramble. Billy sprang forward to catch him, but 
Teddy held aloft the treasured box, preferring to be 
scratched in falling rather than risk that picture! 

However, he was up on his feet again in a moment 
and never thought of his scratched little legs — so eager 
was he to take out the picture and look at it. It took 
some explanations to impress upon his mind that the 
film had to be developed. 

“Now, can Teddy turn the key so that another film 
will be made ready for a second picture?” asked the 
Guide. 

“Uh, huh!” grunted Teddy, striving as he spoke, 
with the key which was rather stiff with newness. 

“Better let Billy turn it,” said his brother. 

“Nah!” cried the Brownie, pressing his lips firmly 
together and grunting hard as he turned at the key. 
Finally, 'he managed to twist it until he saw No. 2 
appear on the dial, then a number of girls called for 
him to stop. 

“Teddy am!” he assured them, disdainfully. 

The Brownies spent a gay half hour in posing and 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


170 

practising with their kodaks, then the Guide and Big 
Lodge girls proposed a short walk in the woods to 
gather flowers and take pictures. 

‘‘School will soon be over for the summer and some 
of you will want to give little remembrances to friends 
and teachers at parting. Why not make some blue- 
prints of flowers on cards and write a dear little verse 
upon the back? See, like this one I made for a sam- 
ple,’' said Miss Miller, showing the children a blue- 
print of a Jack-in-the-Pulpit. 

Underneath the picture the Brownies read : 

“ ‘My sermon to you is be good. 

Do all of the things that you should.’ 

So says John of the Church in the Wood.” 

The children liked this idea immensely and they 
soon were scattering here and there in the woods and 
clearings to find flowers for their cards. 

Teddy found a Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Tammy 
brought a dandelion. Billy was proud of the hepati- 
cae he discovered, which would make a graceful print. 
Fern fronds, buttercups, and some wild apple blos- 
soms offered their help to the Brownies, so that Miss 
Miller turned to go back to camp and start the pictures. 

Miss Miller and Zan had brought their printing 
frames, so she and Zan arranged the flowers and the 
paper in the shade of the tents. Paul put them out 
in the sunshine and watched eagerly as they turned 
blue and then metallic green in the dark spots. 


FOLK LORE AND LEGENDS 


171 

Billy and Paul opened them when ready and the 
younger Brownies were permitted to rinse the prints 
in a pail of fresh water. Elena then dried the blue- 
prints upon a clean towel, while saying, ‘‘I wish we 
had some window-panes or a mirror to dry these on. 
However, we will have to press them, over-night, Miss 
Miller, to make them perfectly flat.” 

When the paper was all laid away to press the 
Brownies sat down to compose verses to go with their 
flowers. Zan found Teddy had printed a dandelion, 
so she helped him write a verse. 

‘‘The dandelion loves the day 
Its face is gold with sun. 

Mother, you are the sun to me 
And I, too, am your son!” 

Edith said she wanted to give her card to a school- 
mate named Lucy, so she chose the violet print and 
wrote the lines to Lucy by Wordsworth — “A violet 
by a mossy stone.” 

“We will wrap ' the cards in yellow tissue paper 
and tie them with blue ribbon, with a yellow bead at 
each end. You know, yellow stands for sunshine and 
blue for the blue sky 1” said Elena. 

Suddenly, Jane remembered that her father had a 
quantity of cardboard that was useless to him, and 
this she would ask for, to cut up for mounts. 

At that idea, Nita said she had a lot of blue rib- 
bon at home discarded by her mother after having 
used it for decorating the table for a tea. 


172 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER S BOOK 


Zan began laughing when she heard Nita’s offer, 
and said, ‘^Well, that reminds me! Mother must 
have a stock of yellow tissue paper left from the day 
she had her suffrage division at our house to hear a 
prominent speaker. The whole place was draped in 
suffrage colours, and now it will come in handy for 
wrapping the gifts.” 

‘‘All we need now are the beads I” exclaimed Hilda. 

“We all have beads at home, so that is settled,” 
cried Edith. And the Guide repeated, “Yes, that 
much is all settled !” 


CHAPTER NINE 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 

W EDNESDAY following the week-end camp on 
the Palisades, was Decoration Day, and, as 
there was no school, Miss Miller called a special 
Council to plan for the Brownies during June, when 
the big girls would be engrossed with their school 
examinations. 

As the Brownies heard the news, they felt forlorn, 
but Billy stood up to ask permission to speak. This 
was granted. 

*'0 Chief I Edith and I can show the other 
Brownies lots of things to do and make in this short 
time. If we happen to come up against a snag, we’ll 
ask mother to explain things !” 

‘*0h, yes, and — O Chief!” hastily corrected Edith, 
before exclaiming what had flashed into her mind. 
“Pm sure mother will be glad to have the Brownies 
meet at our house once or twice a week until school 
closes. Then, she can help us a whole lot!” 

“That is splendid! Both ideas will prove a great 
relief to us, for we must study for exams., you know !” 
said Zan. 

“And Mrs. Remington knows so much about Wood- 
173 


174 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


craft that this will prove a veritable blessing to the 
Brownies. I only wish she would help us once a 
week!’' sighed Miss Miller, in relief. 

'That’s a good idea ! We’ll get her to coach us* now 
and then, after school is out,” declared Jane. 

"Well, let us authorise Billy and Edith to ask their 
mother and find out if she will do this,” suggested 
Zan. 

So, the matter was referred to the two Remington 
children. That day, after other plans were settled, the 
Brownies learned to make some of the knots men- 
tioned in the Manual: the square, slip-knot, double- 
knot, timber-hitch and hard-loop, were mastered by all 
except the younger ones. 

After this perplexing lesson, they enjoyed trying to 
imitate the birds and quadrupeds in actions and sounds, 
so that others could recognise what it was the Brownies 
were demonstrating. This exercise caused much fun 
and merry laughter for the grotesque faces and poses 
suggested all sorts of awful creatures. 

"What is this noise meant for?” cried Paul, after 
Billy had successfully imitated a Whip-poor- Will. 

A guttural sound of "Jugger-Rhum! Juggur- 
Rhum!” seemed to come from Paul’s shoes as he got 
down upon the floor and jumped across the rug. 

"A hop-toad !” shouted some of the Brownies. 

"I say it is a frog,” added Jane. 

"Yes, Jane’s right. I saw an awful funny picksher 
in Dot’s song-book, so I tried to copy him,” said Paul. 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 175 

“I thought Paul was imitating a kangaroo — from 
the way he jumped/’ laughed Nita. 

Paul was asked to jump again. “This time you must 
crouch down on your hind-legs and hold your head 
up in front !” said Zan. 

“He only has two legs — ^which are his fore-legs if 
he uses the two he is squatting on for hind-legs!” 
laughed Jane. 

The others joined in the merriment at Zan’s ex- 
pense, for they seldom caught their wide-awake Chief 
napping, so they made much of an opportunity. 

“Lem’me show you the frogs I copied my jump 
from, then you will see whether I was right,” argued 
Paul, when Dot handed the book to Zan. 

Jane and Nita leaned over Zan’s shoulder as she 
turned the pages of the song-book to find the Frog 
Song Paul spoke of. 

“Do you know, girls, these are cute songs! Some 
of them will make fine acting plays for the Brownies. 
Here is the one Paul is trying to show us, for in- 
stance. Wouldn’t it make a funny little play-song for 
a group?” exclaimed Zan, eagerly. 

“Yes, indeed! Let them practise some of them in 
the next two weeks. Billy can coach them properly,” 
replied Jane and Nita. 

“It would be awfully funny if one of the boys 
dressed in a high white paper ‘choker’ as mentioned 
here, and another played a card-board fiddle. The 
girls can have rush-leaf dresses and the bride one of 
green paper!” eagerly said Nita. 


176 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


THE FROG’S PARTY 



The frog who would a wooing go 
Gave a party you must know; 

And his bride all dressed in green 
Looked as line as any queen. 

Their receptions number’d some, 

Of the best in Froggie-dom. 

Four gay froggies played the fiddle, 
Hands across and down the middle, 
Oh ! oh ! oh ! oh ! Away we go ! 
Hopping and jumping away we go! 

2 

Some stern old croakers there did come, 
With white chokers in the room; 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 177 

Froggie belles with rush-leaf fans, 

Froggie beaux in green brogans, 

Flirted in the bowers there 
Hidden from the ball-room’s glare; 

Three old froggies tried a reel — 

Twist ’em, turn ’em toe and heel : with 
Oh! Oh! &c. 


3 

One little Miss was asked to sing, 

But she had a cold that spring ; 

Little frogs were sound asleep, 

Late hours — bad for them to keep. 

Each one wish’d the couple joy; 

No bad boys came to annoy; 

This next fall — 'the news is spreading — 

They will have a silver wedding; 

Oh! Oh! &c. 

‘^Here, let Jane read it aloud so every one can hear 
what Nita means. Then, Dot can sing the music for 
us so we can get the swing of it,” ordered Zan. 

When the Brownies heard the song they were de- 
lighted with the prospect of playing froggies, and 
instantly voted for the dress-rehearsal — but this was 
postponed for another time. 

^T have been thinking that it might be very enter- 
taining for us to give our Triends a Tlay-song Eve- 
ning’ after school is over, when we will act and sing all 
of the songs the Brownies have learned to do. The 
cards of invitation can be written saying, ‘Come to the 
Frog’s Party!’ ” 

The idea caused a laugh, for it was original and 
would create merriment when received by the invited 
guests. 

After many words of advice and reminders to work 


178 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

hard with Billy so the Big Lodge would be proud of 
their “Lone Scout” work during the next few weeks, 
the Brownies and the big girls parted until after school 
closed. 

True to their promise, Billy and Edith told Mrs. 
Remington of the Brownies orphaned state and she 
immediately telephoned Zan for an appointment that 
evening. 



The Frog’s Party 

“I have an idea to offer for the children’s 



ment during the next few weeks, but I want you to' 
approve it!” said Mrs. Remington, just before she 
hung up the receiver. 

That evening both enthusiastic Woodcrafters talked 
and planned for two hours; as Mrs. Remington con- 
cluded her plans, Zan sighed with gratitude for her 
timely assistance. 

Shortly after this evening call, each Brownie of 
Wako Tribe received a little letter through the mail. 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 179 

addressed on odd birch-bark paper envelopes and upon 
opening it, the Brownie found an invitation written 
on birch-bark paper, to meet at a Council held at 
Stony Crest that Saturday afternoon. 

Of course, every Brownie was there, and a fine time 
they had, too! The older girls of Mrs. Remington’s 
Tribe met and showed the Brownies some of their 
dances, songs, games, and hand-craft. The bead- 
work, burnt-wood work, blankets and mats, made by 
the girls, impressed the children. On the other hand, 
Mrs. Remington noticed that the Brownies appealed 
strongly to her big girls. 

Thus, Mrs. Remington had planned with Zan to 
interest her girls in forming a Little Lodge, and at 
the same time help Wako Tribe over the weeks of 
school work. 

When, at last, the members of Wako Tribe met 
again at Zan’s home for a Council, the big girls were 
amazed at the progress their papooses had made during 
the time they were under Mrs. Remington’s tutelage. 

^They’ve had the best coach for Pangi Wigwam 
in all the Woodcraft League ! The Big Medicine Man 
is^ the only one of his kind in this movement, but 
Mrs. Remington certainly is the only one for Brownies 
to take lessons from!” declared Zan. 

After the surprise and admiration caused by the 
Brownies had subsided, Billy stood up and gave the 
sign, '‘O Chief!” 

“I want to report that our Little Lodge presented 
the bird-houses and baths and lunch-counters to Mr. 


i8o LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

Hazelton, after we heard we might have the bird- 
ground at school. He is delighted with them, and I 
was sent to show the janitor just where we wanted 
the houses put up. 

“One is on top of the high clothes pole in Mason^s 
back yard ; another is near the telegraph pole — on that 
old tree; one is nailed to a post in the corner of the 
play-ground — it’s safe' from cats, too! and the others 
we put up in trees nearby. I showed the janitor 
how to fasten up a tin protector just under the bird- 
houses so the cats couldn’t climb up the trees and rob 
the nests. 

“Mr. Hazelton set aside a square of about ten feet 
and the janitor fenced it in with wire netting. Our 
baths and feeding troughs are there, and the Principal 
said he hoped every boy and girl in the school would 
take a personal interest in the plan.” 

The members of the Tribe were delighted to hear 
Billy’s report, and Zan turned to Elena and said, 
“Billy sure is a good Woodcrafter! He remembered 
that plan about the school-grounds and I forgot all 
about it!” 

The front door had opened during the talking and 
a lady entered the doctor’s office. 

When Zan said, “I don’t believe Miss Miller re- 
membered about those bird-houses either !” some one at 
the door of the library asked, “Who is taking my 
name in vain?” and the members all jumped up to 
greet their Guide. 

After Miss Miller heard all about the Brownies’ 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP i8i 


progress and the doings of the Tribe since she last 
met them at Council, she held up her hand and said, 
Chief!” 

‘‘Hear, hear! Our Guide would speak!” cried Zan. 

“I was just talking with Dr. Baker, and he offered 
the Brownies a treat. As we are nearing the last 
week of June, he thought we might like to take a 
holiday and spend the Fourth of July on his farm. 
We would have ten days in camp !” 

“Down at Wickeecheokee !” cried a chorus of voices. 

“Yes, down at the place where we spent such a 
wonderful summer!” replied Miss Miller. 

“Oh, goody, goody!” shouted Edith, jumping up 
and down, while some of the other Brownies clapped 
their hands, and Billy grinned like a Cheshire cat at 
the very idea of that camp. 

Teddy and Tammy were dumb-founded — ^not at the 
wonder of going to camp for ten days, but because 
they could not grasp what it was all about. Still, 
Teddy thought it quite safe to follow Billy’s example 
in the matter, so he sat and grinned as widely as his 
big brother. Of course, Tammy did likewise. 

“Oh, oh, oh! Just think of it, Zan — isn’t your 
father a peach!” cried Jane, suddenly hugging Zan 
because she was her father’s daughter. 

“We’d better call Dad in and let him know what we 
think of him!” suggested Zan, laughing at Jane’s 
demonstration. 

“He must have had a presentiment of your sugges- 


i 82 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


tion, for he ran out of the house as I came in here 
laughed Miss Miller. 

“Well, we certainly are grateful to him, anyway !” 
added Hilda. 

“I think a good way to show him how thankful 
we are, will be by trying to win all the honours we 
can while at the farm-camp, and try to start on all 
the new work we can in the ten days we are there,’’ 
advised sensible Billy. 

“When can we start. Miss Miller?” asked Nita 
eagerly. 

“We will take the ride in automobiles this time. 
We can start whenever we are ready. Dr. Baker told 
me that his own family expect to go down the week 
following the Fourth, but we can go down and re- 
main until the day after the Fourth.” 

“I’m ready now !” declared Elena, patting her skirt 
and pushing back a few stray locks of hair. 

Every one laughed, and Jane said, “I suppose we 
are all going, are we not?” looking at each eager 
face. 

“Oh, most assuredly ! Who’d stay away. I’d like to 
know?” exclaimed Hilda. 

“Well, then pack your kits, Woodcrafters, and say 
good-bye to hot city pavements for a while. I’ll meet 
you here at eight o’clock in the morning, day after 
to-morrow!” said Miss Miller, rising to go. 

“Oh, don’t go yet! We have too much to ask you 
about!” cried Zan, anxiously, 
r; “What shall we pack?” asked Nita. 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 183 

^'What shall we work on — shall we take some 
stuff?” asked Hilda. 

^‘What will the Brownies wear — they haven’t made 
their ceremonial costumes yet, you know?” added 
Jane. 

'‘Will we see you again before the time we start?” 
wondered Elena. 

“What shall we do for tents? We only had those 
small ones last year for the five of us!” commented 
Zan, anxiously. 

“I see I must stay and answer all of these vital 
questions!” laughed the Guide, sitting down again. 
“Nita first! Take the least possible clothing you 
can, for we will only be there a short time, and all 
of that time will be spent in camp! 

“Now, about work! We ought to take our pyrog- 
raphy sets, and blue-print frames, and bead-looms. 
Everything else can wait for our permanent summer 
camp. There is enough material at Wickeecheokee to 
keep us well occupied while there. 

“As for tents — the doctor told me he has had sev- 
eral large tents all set up in the woods back of the 
Bluff, for a boys’ Band will camp there this summer. 
With the tents we had last year, we will have more 
than ample room. The cots, too, are all there, so we 
need only take our scanty baggage!” 

“Why, Miss Miller, if there is room enough for all 
of us, and to spare, why not invite the other girls of 
Wako Tribe to go with us?” asked Zan, eagerly. 

“I was wondering if you would do that! The girls 


i 84 little WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

have been rather neglected since the Brownies joined 
the Tribe and some of them have complained bitterly 
that you five girls have no more use for them — now 
that you have a new interest!” said the Guide. 

'‘Oh, Miss Miller! You know that is not true! We 
asked all of the girls to help us with a Little Lodge, 
and they all had something else to do!” cried Zan. 

Miss Miller nodded understandingly. “Well, then, 
ril see them and ask each one to be ready to start 
when we do. Do we meet here ?” asked Zan. 

Zan lost no time in inviting the other members 
of Wako Tribe who had joined the original Band 
when it came back from Wickeecheokee Farm the 
summer before. Of the twenty-one members belong- 
ing to the two Bands, only six, besides the five girls 
who started the Little Lodge, could arrange to go 
with the Tribe. With the seven Brownies, it would 
make a total of eighteen — not counting Miss Miller, 
who would make the nineteenth. 

The six girls to accept were Frances and Anne 
Mason, Eleanor Wilbur, Mildred Howell, Ethel Clif- 
ford and May Randall. Three of these girls were not 
yet thirteen years of age, and the other three were 
about fourteen, so Billy and Edith were overjoyed to 
find there would be girls near their own age. 

Thursday, the hour-hand on the hall clock moved 
around until it was almost eight o’clock. Zan glanced 
at her wrist watch every few minutes, calling impa- 
tiently, 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 185 

‘‘I wonder where on earth every one can be, Miss 
Miller?” 

“Oh, they will all be here by eight, don’t worry. I 
don’t suppose one of the Brownies slept a wink last 
night,” replied the Guide, laughingly, while she packed 
some small items in a basket. 

Soon after this, the call of a siren told Zan the 
other automobiles were approaching, so she ran out 
to greet the campers. 

“Goodness! The day is almost over — ^you are so 
late!” 

“Why, it is just two minutes to eight!” returned 
Nita. 

“I think we did fine to pick up all the little ones 
and make it on time,” added Hilda. 

“Well, go right on, don’t stop to argue ! We want 
to get down there before midnight,” retorted Zan, 
climbing into her father’s automobile, the moment she 
saw Miss Miller coming from the hall-door. 

“Where’s Jane and Dot?” called Elena. 

“We’re going to pick them up on the way — we have 
to go past Jane’s house, you know,” replied Zan. 

Nothing occurred to mar the joy of the ride to 
Wickeecheokee, and when the girls of Wako Tribe, 
who had never before visited the farm, walked about 
the place — the old-fashioned house, the gardens, and 
grove, the tennis court, lawns, and woods — they agreed 
with the five girls who first started the Woodcraft 
Band at the farm the preceding summer that never 
was there a better spot for a camp. 


i86 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

''Huh ! If you think all this is so fine, just wait until 
you see the Bluff and the Falls!” exclaimed Zan, 
well pleased at the admiration expressed by the visi- 
tors. 

The girls then trooped up-stairs to change from 
travelling clothes to camp uniforms. Their dresses 
were neatly folded and placed in the high-boys, and 
bloomers and short skirts were soon donned, ready 
for a good time. . 

Miss Miller was on the porch when the Tribe gath- 
ered around her. So many there seemed to be, that 
Hilda cried, "Mercy I Think of the quantities of stuff 
we will consume down here 1” 

"It is fortunate the doctor told us we could have 
free access to the gardens and cellar,” laughed Miss 
Miller. 

"That almost sounds like Miss Miller^s manner of 
telling us to go and get the dinner in the gardens!” 
retorted Jane. 

"It means the same thing, girls! Fm ready to 
start — are you ?” replied the Guide. 

Many of the girls, and all of the Brownies except- 
ing Billy and Edith and Teddy, were having their 
first experience on a real farm, and from their faces 
Miss Miller judged that they were enjoying it im- 
mensely. 

"Zan, will we find the baskets in the cellar as 
usual?” asked Hilda. 

"Huh, huh ! But don’t bump your head this time !” 
laughed Zan. 


OFF FOR WICKEECFIEOKEE CAMP 187 

The girls who were well acquainted with the place 
went down in the cellar and handed up the baskets 
to the other girls. 

‘'Here’s some little grape-baskets for the Brownies!” 
exclaimed Nita, giving them to Billy who stood lean- 
ing over the trap-door. 

The Brownies had been so unusually quiet since 
they came from the house that Zan remarked it. ‘T’m 
afraid the Brownies put away their tongues with their 
city-clothes I” 

Teddy looked at the others and rolled his tongue 
inside one cheek to keep from smiling. 

“Ha! Teddy has something in his mouth — is it a 
little piece of your tongue?” teased Jane. 

Then Teddy thrust out his tongue as far as it would 
go to prove he had all of it where it belonged. 

“I guess the children are all afraid to talk — think- 
ing it is a dream !” chuckled Billy. 

“Oh, the little ones will talk fast enough when once 
they feel more at home,” added Edith, in a grown-up 
way, as if Billy and she were not members of the 
Little Lodge themselves! 

Miss Miller smiled as she said, “I guess Edith is 
right. There will be Bedlam on the Bluff in a short 
time!” 

The Tribe tramped along the path to the gardens, 
Zan and the Guide leading the way. The first vege- 
tables found were the onions and potatoes — they grew 
nearest the rustic gate that opened to the truck garden. 


i88 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


‘T see the potato vines are growing fine, Zan!’^ re- 
marked Jane, stopping at a patch of potatoes. 

‘‘Are those green things potatoes? Where are the 
potatoes?’’ asked Paul, wonderingly. 

“They haven’t formed, yet, silly! These are only 
the plants growing. The leaves of the plants turn 
yellow before you can dig potatoes fit to eat,” replied 
his sister, from her superior experience of one season 
on the farm. 

“Paul will know all about these things before he 
leaves here,” said Miss Miller, glancing around to 
embrace all of the Brownies in her speech. 

Billy and Zan had been walking a little in advance 
of tl\e others, and now Zan saw Billy looking anxiously 
up in the tops of the cherry-trees. 

“Think there are any left to pick?” asked Zan. 

“The leaves are so thick on these trees that, I 
don’t believe the robins got many of your cherries. 
Ours were all pecked to pieces ’cause we have so 
many birds about the place,” replied the boy. 

“You might climb up and see if there are any. No 
one else will pick them and they will only rot on the 
trees,” suggested Zan. 

So Billy dropped his basket and was soon up among 
the branches where he picked several quarts of late 
cherries. 

Zan and Jane went to the strawberry beds and 
gathered a quantity of the late red berries generally 
found hanging under the green leaves. 

A number of the new girls were directed to pick 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 189 

string-beans while some were set to picking peas. 
Two others were told how to pull garden lettuce and 
radishes. 

“Girls/’ called the Guide, “only gather enough of 
these things for this noon and to-night. We will 
come again in the morning to pick fresh fruit and 
vegetables.” 

Then Miss Miller turned to Zan. “Your father said 
there was a quantity of winter potatoes stored in one 
of the bams. We may use all we want and leave 
the rest for the boys.” 

“The potatoes and winter vegetables are in the old 
bam where Bill built huge bins after the new barn 
was finished. We can go over there now, if you like,” 
offered Zan. 

So the amateur farmers were left to their work 
while Zan and the Guide walked towards the out- 
buildings. In the old barn. Miss Miller found the 
potatoes and carrots and turnips, besides some bags 
of onions. 

“We’ll take a few onions, as those in the garden 
are too young to pull out. We won’t need any turnips 
or carrots for to-day, but we can use some of these 
if it rains and the gardens are too wet to work in,” 
said the Guide, while looking at the vegetables in a 
thoughtful way. 

She picked up a large turnip and a smooth carrot 
and said, “Zan, did you ever make hanging baskets 
from these?” 

“Hanging baskets! Mercy, no!” laughed Zan. 


190 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


“Well, they make the prettiest things! I’ll show 
the Brownies how to make them, I guess.” 

The Guide selected a large turnip and a carrot for 
each Brownie and gave some to Zan to carry. As 
they left the barn, she explained. 

“These send out shoots and are very beautiful when 
made in the fall of the year and hung in a sunny 
window. Now, I suppose they are too old to grow 
very luxuriantly, but they will answer to teach the 
little ones how to make them so they can be made next 
winter. A sweet potato vine makes a beautiful basket, 
too. The vine is very graceful and trails down from 
the wire, making your dining-room window a refresh- 
ing place to look at in the cold bleak days of Jan- 
uary.” 

“Well, Miss Miller, you certainly take the cake for 
ideas of anything we see or mention 1” exclaimed Zan, 
admiringly. 

The other gardeners were waiting at the house, 
when Zan and the Guide joined them there. As it 
was almost noon before the Tribe arrived at the farm, 
it was now long past lunch time; so Miss Miller ad- 
vised the home-cook members to prepare dinner in the 
kitchen and the campers would eat on the lawn that 
day, to save time and labour. 

While the Big Lodge attended to dinner. Miss Miller 
gathered the Brownies under a wide-spreading tree 
and began to tell them about the hanging baskets. 

“First, you take a turnip and clean it carefully, 
taking extra pains not to injure the place where the 


OFF FOR WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 191 

leaves grow. Cut off a piece of the bottom, like this, 
and scoop out the inside, leaving the top with the 
sprouts intact. Now, take a piece of picture wire 
and fasten it so that the turnip will hang upside 
down. Fill in the hollow with water and hang the 
turnip-basket somewhere in the sun and air to 
grow. 

‘‘Soon, you will see little shoots growing out of the 
bottom and as they grow they curl upward and will 
form a pretty basket of green. Next winter, you can 
have these green balls hanging in your school-room 
windows or at home. Now, watch me make a carrot 
plant,’' said the Guide, having completed the turnip- 
basket. 

“Cut off the top of a carrot quite evenly, and place 
it on top of a flower-pot filled with sand. Moisten 
the ground well and place it in a dark place for a 
few days. When it begins to sprout, take it out and 
let it grow. Then, you will see something pretty, 
indeed.” 

Miss Miller stood her flower-pot with the carrot- 
top under the porch in the dark, and then helped the 
Brownies to make their turnip-baskets and carrot 
plants. This work kept them all happily employed 
until Zan came out to say dinner was cooked. 


CHAPTER TEN 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 

HE Tribe of Woodcrafters sat under the oak 



1 tree enjoying the cool breeze while they ate the 
dinner cooked by the girls of the Big Lodge. 

'That was a good meal, Hilda,’’ commented Paul. 

"Um ! Just as good as if some real cooks had made 
it!” added Billy, approvingly. 

The girls laughed and Miss Miller said, "Ha! 
Billy doesn’t believe you Woodcrafters are genuine 
cooks!” 

"Oh, I didn’t mean that at all. Miss Miller! You 
know I mean, the cooking was as good as if our 
Dinah cooked it!” cried Billy, horrified that any one 
should deem him impolite. 

"All right, Billy. I was only teasing you a bit! 
But, as long as the Brownies find their cooks efficient, 
I may as well tell you now, and have you prepare for 
the time. You are to entertain a party of guests on 
the Eourth. The doctor arranged for the parents and 
friends of the Tribe members to come down here and 
spend the day. They are coming in a huge jitney and 
stop at some hotel along the road for dinner. They 
will have all afternoon with us to see the Brownies 


192 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 193 

dance and demonstrate Woodcraft,” the startling 
news the Guide told the Tribe. 

“Goodness me! Then we must have some new 
dances ready!” cried Nita, anxiously. 

“Yes, Nita, as dancing master, has a reputation to 
uphold,” laughed the Guide. 

“Oh, we’ve got a s’prise for Nita! She hasn’t 
seen us dance since Mrs. Remington taught us during 
the weeks of exams.,” cried Paul, proudly. 

“No, I haven’t — and I didn’t think any one would 
bother with you to that extent,” replied Nita. 

“Oh, then you just ought to see us do the Spring 
Dance!” called Billy, eagerly. 

“Come out on the grass and show us now. We are 
only too eager to see it,” invited Miss Miller. 

So Billy jumped up and called to the other Brown- 
ies, “Come on and do the Spring Dance — the one 
where we make the corn grow, you know !” 

The Brownies loved this dance and needed no sec- 
ond invitation, so they all ran over and formed a 
circle around Billy. 

“Oh, pshaw! That isn’t the way. Don’t you re- 
member we all come out on the one-two step, and 
form a ring around the fire?” cried Billy, impatiently. 

“Perhaps your Indians wonder where the fire is?” 
ventured Zan, smiling because there was no stick or 
stone to mark a possible fire-place. 

“I’ll pile up a make-believe fire, Billy, while you 
take your dancers behind that big tree and then come 
out as you said,” offered the Guide, hurriedly piling 


194 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


up a heap of twigs and dried grass to mark a spot 
for the fire. 

Nita caught up a tin pan that had held rice-pudding 
and began drumming on it with a stick. This an- 
swered for the music of a tom-tom. 

On the third beat of the tom-tom, Billy led his 
followers forth from behind the tree. They came 
hop-stepping and holding up an imaginary ear of corn 
in one hand. Circling the fire once around they 
stopped at equal distances about the fire and knelt 
down on one knee. A make-believe hole was made 
in the ground for planting the corn. The imaginary 
kernel of com was dropped in the hole and with two 
motions of the hand — keeping time with the music — 
the earth was scraped over the corn. When this sign 
was repeated from the four directions of the compass, 
the Brownies faced the fire and sang the Rain Song, 
making the rain sign at the same time. 

After concluding the Rain Song, they hop-stepped 
to the right making the Sun sign with the right hand 
and the shimmer sign with the left, and danced around 
the fire once. 

A second Rain Song was then sung and they all 
knelt, facing the fire. To the drumming of four beats 
on the tom-tom, they made the growing sign of the 
corn coming up through the earth, until it was knee- 
high. 

Another dance and another Rain Song accompanied 
by the signs, and then followed four beats of the drum 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


195 

while the corn grew waist-high — as was shown by 
signs the Brownies made. 

A dance and another Rain Song and signs, and the 
corn grew head-high, shown by the children holding 
their hands above their heads. Then followed the 
part the Brownies liked best. 

With hands held aloft the Brownies imitated the 
waving corn while the wind murmured about the 
stalks. The wind was mimicked by closed lips through 
which the children forced a moaning sound like the 
wind at a distance. 

The corn was supposed to be fully grown by this 
time, so the planters danced for the harvest and gave 
the Indian whoop, then hop-stepped out of the circle 
with heads bent over and arms folded to represent 
night. 

After the applause given the dancers. Miss Miller 
said, ‘^Now, we’ll start for the Bluff and introduce you 
all to your camp-home.” 

A lovely walk through the woods charmed the chil- 
dren, who watched eagerly the capers of a little squir- 
rel, and the building of a bird’s nest. Finally, how- 
ever, the Guide reminded them that camp might need 
many hours of attention before they could use it that 
night. 

They proceeded after that reminder, and Jane 
breathed in deeply of the sweet balmy air. ‘‘Oh, isn’t 
it just too good for anything, to be here again!” 
cried she. 

While the Big Lodge girls exclaimed and admired 


196 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

the spot the Brownies ran hither and thither, eagerly 
investigating everything. 

The large tents, each one of which would accom- 
modate eight to ten campers, were placed back under 
the trees of the woods where the ground was level. 
Alongside of these the three tents used by the Wood- 
craft girls the previous summer were pitched. The 
cabin built by the girls that summer when the Tribe 
started its camp was to be used for papers, tools, fish- 
rods, etc., to keep them, dry and safely out of mis- 
chief’s way. 

After the entire camp-place had been inspected and 
approved. Miss Miller said, “Well, there doesn’t seem 
to be anything left for us to arrange, except the en- 
joyment of it. Even the cots are made up for us to 
sleep in to-night. This must be the work of Mrs. 
Sherwood — bless her heart !” 

“Then we can all have a swim in that pool, can’t 
we?” exclaimed Billy, eagerly. 

“Ask our Chief,” answered Miss Miller. 

“Oh, I’ll say yes to that, without hesitation!” said 
Zan, quickly catching hold of the Brownies nearest 
her and leading them to a tent to help them un- 
dress. 

It did not take long to help the children slip out 
of their loose camp uniform and get into the one-piece 
jersey bathing suits. Then, the children out of the 
tents, the Big Lodge girls hurriedly changed their 
clothes and ran out to join the Brownies who were 
down near the pool. 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


197 

Billy and Edith were already enjoying the water, 
while the children who could not swim sat watching 
them with envy. 

'T guess the pool never had so many swimmers in 
it at the same time,” remarked Miss Miller. 

‘Tt will surely overflow like the water in the pitcher 
when the crow dropped the pebbles in,” laughed Zan. 

‘Well, here goes one pebble — come on in, you other 
pebbles!” shouted Jane, flopping into the water and 
splashing all the Brownies on the bank. 

‘T wish Wicky was down here to teach the children 
how to swim,” declared Nita, as they watched the 
Brownies timidly trying the cold water with their 
bare toes. 

“Oh, we should have brought him with us, Zan!” 
called Hilda, suddenly remembering the collie dog. 

“Wicky’s coming down with Bob and Figi. Mother 
is going to keep him over at the house with her, this 
summer,” said Zan. “He and mother are sworn 
companions, you know, and I have been given second 
place in the dog’s estimation!” 

“Come, Paul, come in with me,” offered Hilda, 
seeing her brother stand far enough from the water 
to keep dry. 

“Nah! I don’t want to swim,” replied he. 

“But you must learn to swim,” urged Hilda. 

“I tell you I don’t want to!” retorted Paul. 

“I tan ’wim !” cried Teddy, at this juncture. 

“You go in and show baby Paul how to do it, 
Teddy,” said Hilda. 


198 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

So fearless little Teddy floundered about in the 
water and laughed merrily at the ducking he got 
when he ventured out too far. Tammy, not to be 
outdone by his friend, also flopped into the pool, while 
the other children stood about and laughed at the 
antics of the two babies. 

‘'Come in, Betty, and Fll hold up your head to show 
you how to swim,” said Elena, who was nearest the 
little girl. 

Betty was very quiet and reticent, but she was not 
timid, so she permitted Elena to help her in the 
water. 

‘T’ll help you, Dot,” offered Jane, and Dot, too, 
was soon enjoying the bath. 

Paul still stood fearfully picturing himself drown- 
ing, while Hilda was determined to catch him un- 
awares and push him in. 

The boy saw her coming and understood her motive 
so he screamed and ran up on the Bluff. But Hilda 
now grew stubborn and made up her mind that she 
would get him in that pool! 

Paul led her a chase about the clearing and con- 
stantly evaded her, so that she finally called breath- 
lessly, “You shan’t stay down here if you act like 
this!” 

“You don’t own the farm and you can’t send me 
away!” retorted Paul, careful to keep the Council 
chair between his sister and himself. 

“Well, every one has to do what they are told, but 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


199 

you — a great big baby — you just whine and won’t 
do what you’re told !” added Hilda, angrily. 

‘T do not whine! You always want me to show 
off, so now!” 

“The worst of it is I never dreamed how we spoiled 
you and made a molly-coddle of you, until I saw you 
with the Brownies. Goodness! Why can’t you be a 
man like Billy Remington!” said Hilda, keen dis- 
appointment sounding in her tones. 

Miss Miller came up to the Bluff at that moment, 
and joined the two. 

“Hilda, you may run down and have your swim 
while I talk to Paul. Not every child can overcome 
a dread of water at the first bath, and you must re- 
member that Paul has never been in the country 
before.” 

Hilda willingly left the problem of Paul’s behaviour 
to the Guide, and was soon enjoying a swim with the 
other girls. Miss Miller sat down in the chair and 
talked to Paul for a time. What she said doesn’t 
matter so much as the fact that she gained Paul’s 
confidence and both of them were seen coming down 
the slope to the pool. Paul permitted her to lead him 
into water where it was about two feet deep, but he 
trembled and shook like an aspen. 

“All of you members keep away from us, now, until 
I show Paul how to float,” counselled the Guide to 
the others. 

After much encouragement and urging, Paul al- 
lowed himself to let go the tenseness and was able 


200 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

to float on the water, the hands of the Guide firmly 
holding him up meanwhile. 

After half an hour’s practice the boy came out of 
the pool delighted with his swim and eager for another 
bath. 

When all were dressed again, the Guide called them 
to her to show them another interesting work. 

‘T want you all to see how flowers take their own 
photographs and then you can do it at any time. 
Billy, will you run over and pluck some leaves from 
that ash, or break off a twig of the maple ?” 

While the others stood waiting. Miss Miller took 
some sheets of white paper and spread them out upon 
the flat seat of the chair. 

Billy returned with the spray of ash leaves and a 
maple leaf. 

‘‘Now, I place these leaves smoothly out on a sheet 
of the paper, thus. Another sheet of paper is placed 
on top to keep them flat and clean. Then, a light 
weight is put over the paper where the leaves are, and 
the whole is placed where it can remain for a few 
days. We will put this on a shelf in the cabin until 
I think it is pressed.” 

This was done, and here let it be said, that Miss 
Miller took out the leaves a few days later and showed 
the children a dainty ghost picture of the pressed 
leaves. 

When the pressed leaves had been left in the cabin, 
the Guide reminded the cooks that it was time to think 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


201 


of Starting supper if they wanted a nice long evening 
around the camp-fire. 

“All right, Brownies, you can gather some wood 
while we Big Lodge members start things going,’’ 
replied Zan. 

“Maybe Hilda had better go with the Wood Brown- 
ies to show them what kind of wood you want,” ad- 
vised the Guide. 

“Yes, and Jane and Nita can run down to Bill’s 
for the milk and butter,” added Zan. 

For half an hour thereafter sounds and activity at 
camp proved there was going to be a fine feast for 
supper ! 

As soon as the dishes were washed and order 
restored to the place where supper had been thor- 
oughly enjoyed, the Tribe sat about the dying fire to 
talk. 

“We want Zan to tell us another fairy-tale,” cried 
some of the Brownies. 

“Oh, I’d rather sing and act a song!” exclaimed 
Billy. 

“I’d rather do something lively, too!” added Edith. 

“Isn’t acting a song lively enough for any one,” 
said Paul. 

“Maybe our Guide has a suggestion to offer?” ad- 
vised Zan, so the Brownies looked eagerly at Miss 
Miller. 

“I had an idea that stories could be told when it 
is too dark to play anything else. And we have had 
some dancing to-day, so I thought maybe the Brown- 


202 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

ies would like to learn how to make and fly an air- 
ship!’^ ventured Miss Miller. 

No one need ask a second time whether the Brown- 
ies approved of the idea, for such a variety of ‘‘Ah’s !” 
and “Oh’s” and “Urn’s” seldom are heard from seven 
small people. 

“Flying machines and aviators are playing such an 
important part in this World’s War to-day, that the 
perfect construction of these ships, and the way they 
are managed, should be taught every child. Now, with 
our machines, we can give prizes for the best made 
flyer, for distances driven, for height and steadiness 
and other things, using judgment with the age and 
experience of the aviator.” 

Miss Miller had been collecting the things she 
needed — scissors, glue, paper and what-not, while the 
Brownies crept after her watching every movement. 

“First, I will sketch the lines which are to be care- 
fully cut out later. Also, I will make some dotted 
lines which will be explained later.” 

Miss Miller then sketched carefully, three models, 
using a ruler to measure the lines exactly. This done, 
she made a number of dotted lines as shown in the 
diagram herewith. When these were done, she deftly 
sketched tiny illustrations of the part each model 
would play in the finished toy. 

“One important thing to remember, is not to wrin- 
kle or bend, or fold the paper anywhere excepting 
the place it is supposed to be folded — on the dotted 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


203 

lines. If the paper is crumpled it will not make a 
good flyer.’’ 

Miss Miller cut out the aeroplanes on the lines, and 
was then ready to fold them down. 

‘T will fold the Bleriot plane No. 9, on the dotted 
line across the square end. Then fold the paper over 




Patterns of Aeroplanes 

and over — not back and forth — or over and under. 
By being exact and careful of my folding I will keep 
the plane evenly weighted and it will glide steadily 
when sent off.” 

The Brownies watched eagerly, as the Guide fol- 
lowed her rules, and then she was ready for the next 
thing. 

‘Told down the dotted line in the centre of the 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


204 

plane, and fold up the ends that are marked with the 
numerals corresponding with the number of the plane, 
and it is done!” 

Miss Miller wrote down the names of each type of 
plane on the little flyers — Bleriot No. 9, The Duck, 
IV., and The Bat, 34. She took the Bleriot and stood 



a short distance apart from the eager children and held 
it up above her head, the air-plane held gently between 
her fingers, somewhat like the sketch herewith. 

In launching the glider she pushed gently forward 
and allowed it to slip from her fingers. The ship was 
not tipped upward but a trifle downward, and, tilting 
slightly downward from the weight of the folds of 
paper, it balanced beautifully and sailed along as if it 
had other motive power than the push that sent it 
off. 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


205 


The children ran madly after the plane, shouting 
excitedly until it finally settled down in the grass a 
long distance from the circle. 

Miss Miller stood with the Big Lodge girls laugh- 
ing at the glee of the Brownies, and as they came back 
to the Council Ring she said, ‘‘Never push the plane 
too hard, and do not point it upward at starting.'’ 



The Brownies experimented again and again, finding 
new delight in the toy at each flight, then Zan called 
to them. 

“It's growing too dark for flying now — better come 
and hear a story.” 

“Tell us a fairy-tale?” clamoured Dot, instantly. 

“No, tell us about a fight!” demanded Paul. 

“I'd rather hear how to make things — like this air- 
ship,” ventured Edith. 

Every one sat down about the dying embers of the 
fire, while twilight crept over the Bluff, and the big 


2o6 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


girls were trying to think up some story to tell the 
Brownies. 

The children had no idea of being impolite, nor of 
going to bed so early, but soon Teddy and Tammy 
were fast asleep on the grass, while the others were 
finding it hard work to keep open tired eye-lids. 
Finally, Miss Miller spoke. 

^'From appearances I should say that the Big Lodge 
will not be able to think up a story, nor will the 
Brownies be able to hear one, as both parties will soon 
be fast asleep.’' 

“Well, to tell the truth, I am trying to remember 
whether I was asked to tell a fairy-tale or work out a 
problem in mathematics for examination!” laughed 
Zan. 

“We’d better all go to bed,” remarked Billy. 

“Oh, Billy I It’s only seven o’clock !” cried Edith. 

“No, it’s half-past seven exactly,” replied Zan, look- 
ing at her watch. 

“The Brownies ought to go, but who ever heard of 
big girls going to bed at that unearthly hour I” laughed 
Nita. 

“Well, you never think it’s time to go to bed, but I 
must say I’m sleepy,” argued Zan. 

“Miss Miller, send the sleepyheads to bed and let us 
enjoy the evening a little more!” exclaimed Nita. 

“That’s fair! So you girls can take the Brownies 
and say good-night, while we sit here and talk,” con- 
sented the Guide. 

The children were all so tired after a full day of 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


207 

joy and excitement, that the novelty of sleeping in the 
woods was quite secondary to the cot-beds. And soon 
they were all fast asleep. But the girls who had to 
help them undress were awake again by the time the 
Brownies were in bed, so they returned to the circle 
about the fire. 

Miss Miller was talking. ‘T want you to draw up 
a rough idea of the entertainment on the Fourth. We 
must have plenty of singing and dancing in it — and 
anything else you wish !” 

‘‘We must have inspiring music — such as the Star- 
Spangled Banner. Maybe Nita can improvise some 
new steps to go with that ‘March, march, march, 
march' song of FarweH’s!” suggested Jane. 

“Maybe one of us can write up some new words to 
fit an old well-known tune," ventured Elena. 

“I know one of the best patriotic songs ever com- 
posed. It is published by Schirmer, the big music 
publisher in New York. I think I will write and have 
some copies sent down immediately. We ought to 
have the music before Thursday, I should think," said 
Miss Miller, while she scattered the ashes of the fire. 

The notes of a wild bird awoke Billy in the morn- 
ing, and he jumped out of his cot to see where it was. 

“Oh, Paul ! Get out and see this big fat robin right 
by Edith’s tent!" whispered Billy, hurriedly shaking 
his tent-mate. 

“Agh ! leave me be I I’m sleepy 1" cried Paul, peev- 
ishly. 

“Ah, come on, Paul 1" beseeched Billy. 


2o8 little WOODCRAFTER’S book 

‘‘Go ’way, I say, and lemme be !” shouted Paul. 

Then Billy heard an excited voice from the adjoin- 
ing tent. 

“Billy! Billy! Are you up?” 

“Yes — is that you, Edith? Look at that fat robin 
right at your tent opening !” whispered Billy hoarsely. 

“Oh, but Billy ! There are three of ’em ! A mother, 
the father, and a little baby robin — just out of the 
nest !” returned Edith, also in a loud whisper lest she 
frighten away the birds. 

While Billy quickly dropped his pajamas and jumped 
into a camp suit to run out and see the birds, every 
one in camp had been awakened by the excited stage- 
whispers, and were now hurrying to dress. 

So much confusion — although every one tried to be 
as quiet as a mouse — frightened the parent birds back 
to the lower branches of their tree. They screamed at 
their daring son, to come away from such a dangerous 
spot as those white tents seemed to be. 

The fat little robin, however, all unconcerned about 
the danger or warnings, hopped about until it reached 
the flat rock where the Tribe’s supper had been eaten 
the night before. Delicious cake-crumbs were found 
here, such as mother never brought to the nest for her 
children to eat. 

The rock was far enough from the tents to be com- 
paratively safe, so the parent robins joined the little 
fellow and were soon enjoying the cake, too. Mother 
Robin flew up to the nest with some of the larger 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


209 

morsels while Father Robin kept watch over the brave 
little son who had ventured to fly that morning. 

Billy hastily prepared a film in his kodak to get a 
picture of the robins while they were feeding on the 
crumbs, and Elena was busy with pencil and pad, when 
suddenly, the little fellow remembered that he was 
out that day to learn to fly. Without a warning chirp 



or flutter, he flew straight off from the rock right into 
the woods, the father following to see that he came 
to no harm. 

‘Thus endeth another lesson!’’ sighed Elena, who 
had not quite finished the sketch, and Billy had just 
focussed the kodak. 

“And everybody is wide awake an hour before we 
expected to get up!” lamented Nita. 

“But we will have a fine long day in which to 
enjoy the woods,” added Miss Miller, running over to 


210 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


gaze steadfastly up through the green of the tree where 
the mother robin flew. 

‘T was thinking how nice it would be if Billy could 
get a picture of the robins in the nest before they 
fly away/’ she explained, coming back to the tents. 

‘'Oh, yes! Will I frighten them much, do you 
think?” eagerly inquired Billy. 

“No, but the tree is not an easy one to climb,” 
warned the Guide. 

“Pooh! You just ought to see the trees I have 
climbed in Maine. This is easy as pie to some of 
them!” bragged Billy. 

So, with the camera hung over his back, he climbed 
the tree only to find the other robins already taking 
flight — all but the last one that flew just as he reached 
a Spot where he could get a good picture. 

Every one sympathised with him, and Elena said 
the tale ought to be posted up in the Tally Book with 
her unfinished sketch. 

Breakfast was soon under way and the Guide pro- 
posed taking the children for a short walk up the 
ravine while the girls finished the cooking. Accord- 
ingly, they took the trail that led up to Fiji’s cave. 

Teddy and Tammy had such short legs that they 
soon grew tired from the climb, and the Guide sat 
down upon a fallen tree-trunk to rest them. 

“Tell a ’tory!” cried Teddy, the moment he saw 
Miss Miller sitting quietly with nothing to do. 

“Oh, yes, Miss Miller, just a teeny one, will you?” 
cried Dot. 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 


211 


“Will we have time to hear a short story before 
the tom-tom calls us to breakfast?” inquired the Guide. 

“Yes, oh yes !” declared the Brownies, quickly seat- 
ing themselves about her. 

“Well, ril tell you about some robins I saw in 
Canada, last summer a year ago — that makes two 
summers ago, you know. 

“I was waiting at a junction of the Grand Trunk 
Railroad where I had to change cars for Buffalo, when 
a long line of freight cars pulled in at the station. 
I had twenty minutes to spare and I amused myself in 
reading the labels telling of the different states the 
cars came from. 

“When I reached a car marked from Winnipeg, I 
noticed some of the men — brakeman, oilers, and engi- 
neer — hurriedly run up to the ladder and creep up 
hand over hand, until the top rung was reached. 

“I was curious to know what it was that made these 
rough men smile and act like children, so I went over 
to find out. 

“They saw that I was interested and the engineer 
told me what it was. 

“ ‘You see, ma'am, when we were in Winnipeg 
waiting for orders to start east, two robins hung about 
the freight yards, and after Jim follered them up 
he found they were building a nest in the top rung 
of that ladder way. At first he was going to tear it 
down, then he said he'd see what they did when the 
cars started. 

“ ‘We were held up there for three days and the 


212 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


fiest was finished and Mrs. Robin had laid some eggs 
before we found out that it would be murder to tear 
that nest down at that stage of the work. So we 
talked it over and decided to take care of the birds 
if they needed it during the trip. 

“ ‘When we were ordered to go, we watched anx- 
iously, ^case we thought maybe Mr. Robin would 
desert his wife when he found he was travelling. But 
he didn’t! He’s game, all right! 

“ ‘He couldn’t help grumblin’ some when he found 
they were being moved away from the fine worm- 
patch he had found in the switchman’s little garden 
alongside the tracks, but he worried more about taking 
care of his wife during those days of travel! 

“ ‘Then Bill thought of a plan. The car where the 
nest was was loaded with Canada wheat, so Bill 
unchained the ventilator a bit and took a handful of 
grain from a bale and scattered it near the nest. Mrs. 
Robin soon told the glad news to her husband and we 
saw him peck at the wheat and feed his wife. Soon, 
he hopped over and found the little opening where the 
grain was easily taken out. 

“ ‘After a long trip we stopped at a way-station 
and there the nestlings were born. Mrs. Robin was 
so excited at the fine little brood that she had to chat- 
ter all of the time. We tried to have a look at ’em, 
but she got too nervous so we waited. 

“ ‘Mr. Robin was a busy man those days for he had 
a big hungry family to feed and he was getting tired 


THE STORY OF THE ROBINS 213 

of the same kind of food all the time. So, he was 
glad to stop long enough to dig up some worms. 

‘‘ ‘When we started again, the little family seemed 
quite comfortable, and to-day we pulled in here to find 
the robins — ^big, fat fellows — crowding each other out 
of the nest. It’s a wonder one of them didn’t fall out 
before this.’ 

“As the man concluded his story I glanced up at the 
nest, and suddenly one of the robins flew right over 
our heads. The father followed and watched him for 
a time, then another child balanced on the edge of the 
nest and tried to fly. Before I left that junction the 
family flew away and the two parent robins went up 
to a tree in a nearby yard and sang merrily while 
the freight car started on its way to Toronto.” 

Just as the Guide finished her story, the tom-tom 
sounded from the Bluff, and Miss Miller said, laugh- 
ingly, “That must be the engineer calling the little 
robins to eatl” 


CHAPTER ELEVEN 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 

I MMEDIATELY after breakfast, Paul* said, “Can 
we go for a swim, now. Miss Miller?’^ 

“Beginning to enjoy the water, eh, Paul?” smiled 
the Guide. 

i “Pd ruther swim than play anything else 1” bragged 
the boy. 

“Well, Pm glad to hear that you like the sport, but 
do try to use better English,” advised Miss Miller. 

I At this moment, Billy ran over to Miss Miller and, 
after saying to Paul, “Excuse me a minute — I have to 
whisper to the Guide,” he pulled her over to one side 
and whispered very eagerly. 

The “something whispered” seemed to please Miss 
Miller very much. She nodded and said, “Yes, Billy, 
bring it over and show it to us.” 

Then Billy ran away in great haste to bring “some- 
thing” from his tent. 

“I find that Billy brought with him, something very 
good for our entertainment. I wondered what made 
his baggage so bulky, and now I comprehend 1” ex- 
plained Miss Miller. 

While Billy was absent, the Guide asked the Brown- 
214 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 215 

ies if any of them knew of a way to assist at the 
entertainment on the Fourth. This question started 
an unexpected- discussion which lasted until Billy was 
seen coming out of his tent. He was dressed in full 
ceremonial costume with the coups he had won by 
perseverance and persistence, decorating it, and the 
shield and spear he had made according to the Manual 
for Big Lodges. 

The moment he was seen, Nita caught up the tom- 
tom and began drumming while the other children beat 
time with hands or feet until the young scout entered 
the circle. Then he danced the Lone Scout dance won- 
derfully well. During the dance, Teddy, who was 
tremendously interested in everything Billy did, sat 
upon a log and kept time with his hand. 

Billy was applauded heartily, for it was an inspiring 
sight to see him do the graceful steps and poses of 
the Lone Scout and the great feathered bonnet and 
decorated Indian costume made an effective dress 
against the background of green trees and shimmer- 
ing water. 

Nita had been learning the Nana-bo-jou dance and, 
after Billy finished, the Guide called upon her to try 
and do the new dance for them. This request was 
eagerly accepted and Nita stepped to the centre of the 
ring. 

‘T think I can explain it well enough to have the 
Brownies practise it with me. Miss Miller,” said Nita. 

‘‘Very well, then, you just tell them what to do, 
and we will help you all we can,” replied the Guide, 


2i6 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


motioning the children out to join Nita in the circle. 

‘T’ll be the Nana-bo-jou and do the running and 
singing, while Billy and Paul can be the goblins to help 
me. All of you little wild-wood animals must wear 
something to show what you are. The goblins will 
wear some hideous-looking masks to make them look 
as dreadful as can be. Elena can make us the masks. 
They can be hoods of paper or muslin — black is best — 
with holes for the eyes, and a great grinning mouth 
showing big teeth.” 

Elena made a note of Nita’s description and prom- 
ised to have the fearful masks for the goblins ready 
before they would be needed. 

'‘Now, Brownies, you must each choose the animal 
you wish to represent. You can be a bird if you’d 
rather!” said Nita. 

“ril choose a bear!” cried Paul. 

'T want to be a robin like this morning’s little 
bird,” said Betty. 

‘T’ll be a coyote ’cause we have a skin at home 
that mother can send down for me to use,” explained 
Edith. 

"Teddy wan’s to be a doggy!” shouted the Brave. 

"Tammy be a doggy, too!” instantly echoed the 
youngest of the Tribe. 

"No, no, Tammy,” objected Teddy. "Dere tan 
onny be one doggy!” 

"Tammy tan be anudder doggy !” asserted Tammy, 
decidedly. 



<{ 


y } 


TEDDY SAT UPON A LOG AND KEPT TIME 


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FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 217 

“NO! yuh tan’t! Tammy’s dot to be a kitty-cat!” 
declared Teddy, masterfully. 

“Boo-hoo! — Tammy won’t! A kitty aint’ Injun!” 
howled the little fellow, making every one choke to 
keep from laughing outright, for it was the first posi- 
tive rebellion Tammy ever ventured against his lord 
and master, Teddy. 

The latter was so amazed at his vassal’s independ- 
ence, that he failed to take advantage of Tammy’s 
crying, and just sat and stared unbelievingly until the 
Guide spoke. 

“Oh, Tammy! I know of an animal much nicer 
than any yet chosen. Come here and let me whisper 
to you so no one can hear.” 

Tammy looked up quickly, drew his hands over his 
wet eye-lashes hastily, and ran over to hear the secret. 

But Teddy ran, too. He wasn’t going to be left 
out of anything so vital as this — not if he knew it ! 

“Doe away!” cried Tammy, turning angrily on 
Teddy. 

“Won’t neider!” retorted Teddy, wondering what 
could be the matter with his erstwhiles obedient fol- 
lower. 

Miss Miller tried hard to keep a serious expression 
for she saw how the confidence and independence of 
the others were beginning to have its effect on Betty, 
the meek, and Tammy, the youngest, who was domi- 
nated by Teddy with the will-power. 

“I think a little monkey will be just fine, Tammy! 
He is a wild-wood animal, you know! He climbs 


218 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


trees and swings from branches, and knows oh, so 
much ! You can wear a red cap and dance,’’ whispered 
Miss Miller, loud enough for Teddy to overhear. 

Tammy considered deeply, contrary to the Guide’s 
expectation, for she had been sure Tammy would 
quickly agree with her suggestion. But she was 
pleased to find he was considering for, and alone with, 
himself. 

Teddy, however, liked the idea better than his own, 
so he quickly said, “Tammy tan be a doggy — Teddy’ll 
be the montee !” 

Another fracas would surely have followed had not 
Miss Miller used great tact in handling the delicate 
situation. 

“Oh, Teddy! Just picture a little doggy with a 
fine brass collar about his neck, leading a little monkey 
by a string! The monkey wears the red cap and 
carries a tin cup in his mouth for the pennies to be 
given the poor children !” 

The big girls clapped noisily at the idea and Teddy 
was reconciled to remain a dog as long as he could 
lead the monkey by a string and make him beg for 
charity. 

The two combatants now made up and were the 
best of friends once more, so Nita continued her 
dancing lesson. 

“I pretend that I crawl through the woods to find 
a good dinner, but all of you wild animals are afraid 
of me so that I can’t get you. This way. Brownies: 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 219 

I crawl about and you must run as if we were playing 
tag, see?” 

“When I can’t catch any one, I play I am friends 
with all the animals and I invite you to come and sit 
in my council near my cave. I promise to teach you 
how to dance as I do. 

“Then the coyote stands out and cries, T am a 
dog, Nana-bo-jou, and we will come to learn dancing 
if you will agree to keep peace and not play tricks 
on us !’ 

“Tricks! Pooh, I never play tricks! I only want 
to be friendly and teach you my dances!’ says Nana- 
bo-jou. 

“Then you all troop in and sit in a circle while I 
take the drum and sing. This done, I turn to one 
of you and say, Who are you? Can you dance 
as I do?’ 

“Then the bear comes out and says, T am the bear 
and I can dance the bear step.’ 

“Then I cry, "Good ! Come and show me the bear- 
dance !’ 

""The bear dances and when he is almost through 
I shout: "Fine! but you can dance it much better if 
you have wings. Would you like to have wings so 
you can fly like an eagle?’ 

""Of course, the bear says, "Yes.! Then, I turn and 
ask all of the other animals to help me make strong 
medicine so the bear can grow wings to fly with. 

""All you animals promise to help, so I order you 
to shut your eyes tight and cover them with your 


220 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


paws and not to open them for anything until you 
are told to do so. Otherwise, the magic will kill 
you and the bear can’t fly like an eagle. 

“Then I tell the bear to close his eyes, too, and 
dance around very fast while the magic works. 

“The animals all do as they are told and while the 
bear is dancing around I rush over and hit him over 
the head with my club — of course. Brownies, it is a 
straw club, you know! — and he rolls over dead. At 
a signal, my two goblins rush in and drag off the 
bear. 

“Then I shout to the others : 'Oh, look. Brothers ! 
The bear is flying away over the tree-tops ! See ?’ 

“The other animals, not willing to seem stupid, say 
they see the bear flying — but they don’t see him at 
all. So, one after another, I ask each animal if he 
wants wings and they do, so I kill one after the other 
until I come to the coyote. He is very clever and he 
had been keeping one eye open and saw the last animal 
killed and taken away. So, he turned and told the loon 
what he had seen and he feared the Nana-bo-jou was 
really tricking them. 

“When I ask the coyote if he wants wings to fly 
with, he replies, ‘No, I am satisfied with the way the 
Great Spirit made me,’ and sits down again. 

“Then, I tell the loon to dance, but he is afraid, 
still he dances, but he watches carefully for the time 
when the Nana-bo-jou will come with the club to kill 
him. At that moment, he calls ‘Fly, Brothers! Fly, 
or Nana-bo-jou will kill you! It is a trick!’ 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 221 

‘‘Then, I try to hit the loon, but only strike him on 
the back — which is the reason the loon has no tail 
and has always been lame — or apparently so — when he 
walks. 

“But the lion was brave and he yells his battlecry 
of ‘Lul-l-l-l-00-0 !’ and faces the Nana-bo-jou while 
the animals rally around and fight the wicked magician. 
Finally, the Nana-bo-jou falls down and the animals, 
now released from the magic power, dance around and 
cry, ‘Wakankan Seecha!’ which means ‘Black Magic, 
you are dead !’ ’’ 

The Brownies listened breathlessly to the explana- 
tion and when Nita asked them if they understood, 
they all shouted they did — for they were eager to 
play. Edith showed them the step to use in the ani- 
mal dance — the same hop-step as in the War Dance. 

“Nita,” said Miss Miller, “you must remember to 
explain the dance to our audience before you start to 
do it. If they all understand what it is, they will be 
deeply interested.’’ 

Needless to add here that the dance became very 
popular with the Brownies, for they succeeded in kill- 
ing the wicked Nana-bo-jou and rolled her over and 
pounced upon her with such zeal that the Big Lodge 
had to call a halt, to save Nita from bruises. The 
doggy and monkey displayed greater enthusiasm than 
any of the other animals, so that Zan suggested that 
Teddy select a more subdued part or there wouldn’t be 
any Nana-bo-jou left to dance again. 

After this dance the Brownies sat down to rest for 


222 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


a short time, and Hilda ventured the idea of going to 
the Big Bridge to find willows or dried grasses for 
some mats. This was something new and was readily 
approved by the Brownies, so they started down the 
slope past Sherwood’s cottage. 

Down by the Big Bridge the Tribe found quantities 
of dried grass, so that Miss Miller exclaimed, ‘‘J^st 
the thing for our grass mats ! This is so long and dry 
that it will weave beautifully.” 

After the bundles of grass had been gathered, and 
one of the girls suggested gathering some willows, 
Zan remonstrated. 

willow-bed is really difficult to make. Miss Mil- 
ler, and you know it takes a lot of time. Suppose we 
gather the rods and peel them while they are fresh, 
and then take them home with us to make the willow- 
beds in the winter months ?” 

This idea was acted upon, and soon the campers 
reached the Bluff and dropped their armfuls of grass 
near the Council Ring. While they sat about to rest 
and cool. Miss Miller went to the little cabin for the 
tools and twine to make the looms. 

During her absence, Zan asked, ‘‘How many Brown- 
ies know the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ ?” 

The big girls were amazed to find that only Billy 
and Edith knew the song while Teddy could hum the 
air. 

“My goodness! I thought every babe knew that 
song. We ought to teach them the first verse any- 
way, to be sung on the Fourth !” exclaimed Nita. 








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FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 223 

Consequently, the Guide heard the Big Lodge girls 
teaching the Brownies the patriotic song, and she 
quietly dropped the tools for the looms and stood back 
of a tree to listen. 

When the singing lesson was over for the day. Miss 
Miller joined the circle and said, wonder how many 
of you know who wrote this song?” 

‘‘George Washington!” exclaimed Paul, causing a 
general laugh from the big girls. 

“I know, Miss Miller! Please, it was Fort 
McHenry!” cried Dot, eagerly. 

Another laugh told Dot she too was mistaken, but 
the Guide said, “Fort McHenry is the place where 
the Government erected a bronze tablet and where 
the flag flying from a pole during the bombardment 
on September 13, 181:4, inspired Francis Scott Key 
to write ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ ” 

“I knew he wrote it. Miss Miller,” said Billy, not 
willing to be considered ignorant of such an important 
fact, but not wishing to take the honour of answering 
the query from another Brownie. 

“I knew it, too!” added Edith, watching Billy cov- 
ertly, to see if he would contradict her statement. 

“I suppose you both knew, and now, perhaps, you 
can tell us the oldest flag — national flag, I mean — in 
existence?” asked the Guide. 

The Brownies did not feel called upon to rack their 
brains to reply to this, as Billy and Edith seemed to 
be most concerned with this matter. But Billy frowned 
in vain — the information he sought would not be 


224 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


found; so, Miss Miller took pity on his chagrin and 
explained. 

"‘Why, our very own Stars and Stripes! France 
conies next and England’s standard was not adopted 
until i8oi. 

“You see, the colonies, ships, and regiments of 
America used so many different flags that in 1775 
Washington asked Congress to fix upon a standard 
flag by which vessels and people might recognise their 
own. 

“In 1777, a committee consisting of George Wash- 
ington, Robert Morris, and Colonel Ross, conferred 
with Betsy Ross who designed and made the first flag. 
Paul was slightly confused in his history, but at least 
he tried to enlighten us for which we thank him ; and 
Dot came quite close to the fact, too, for she told 
us the name of the Fort where the song was writ- 
ten.” 

The Brownies liked this kind of a history lesson 
and Paul asked if Miss Miller would tell them some 
more about the Flag and Zan seconded the motion. 

Miss Miller thought for a moment and then said, 
“Perhaps you are not aware of important resolutions 
which the Sons of the Revolution put into effect con- 
cerning our Flag. 

“ "Proper respect for our Flag must be observed, 
therefor : 

"" "It should not be hoisted before sunrise nor al- 
lowed to remain up after sunset. 

"At sunset, spectators should salute the Flag and 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 225 

during the rendering of the ‘‘Star-Spangled Banner’’ 
army and navy men are required to do so. 

“ ‘Should our Flag be used in parade, review, or 
other public affairs, it should be duly honoured by 
every loyal American. 

“ ‘To place the Flag at half-mast, first raise it to the 
top of the staff, then lower to half-mast. When low- 
ering altogether, it should first be raised to top of 
staff then lowered entirely.’ ” 

“Why do they want it only up half-way?” asked 
Dot, wonderingly. 

“Oh, haven’t you seen the flags at half-mast on Dec- 
oration Day — or when a great man dies ? Some times 
for a world calamity or a dreadful disaster when 
many lose their lives? The country places the Flag 
at half-mast as a token of mourning,” said Zan. 

“I understand now — but I always wondered if the 
man forgot to lift the Flag all the way up to the top 
of the pole,” said Dot, thereby showing how children 
wonder at things they have never had explained to 
them. 

“While we are speaking of honouring the Flag, 
let me add, that ‘Morning and Evening Colours’ are 
observed on all naval vessels and army posts through- 
out our nation. But the general use of the Flag in 
public schools did not begin until the ’8o’s when a 
Boston newspaper started the plan. To-day, prac- 
tically every public school in the United States, in- 
cluding those of Hawaii, Alaska, and our other Is- 


226 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

lands, flies the National Banner while school is in 
session,” said the Guide. 

‘‘Miss Miller, don’t you think the Brownies will be 
interested in hearing the story of Old Glory?” asked 
Jane. 

“Oh, yes, yes. Miss Miller !” cried they in unison. 

“Then Jane may tell it to you,” replied the Guide, 
smiling at Jane as a signal for her to begin. 

Jane had not intended it this way, for she had heard 
the story from the Guide and, of course, she expected 
her to tell it to the Brownies, but Woodcrafters are 
taught to obey, so she smiled. 

“Once there was an old Captain Driver of Salem, 
Massachusetts, who was given command of the brig 
Charles Doggett. Just as he was about to sail from 
his harbour, he received a large American Flag to 
use on the vessel. 

“He stood watching it unfurl during the hoisting 
to the top of the flag-pole, and he sighed to himself, 
‘My, but it is an Old Glory that thrills my soul!’ 

“The bystanders overheard him and after that he 
went by the name of ‘Old Glory Driver.’ 

“The Captain was a staunch Union man while many 
of his friends, who lived in the South, were Con- 
federates. He sailed the seas for many years after 
Old Glory came to him, and when he retired at a ripe 
old age to live with his relatives at Nashville, Ten- 
nessee, he carried his beloved flag with him. 

“But the Rebellion broke out shortly after this, 
and the neighbours of Captain Driver determined to 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 227 

get that ‘Old Glory’ from him. So, they planned and 
plotted and tried every way, but Captain Driver had 
heard of their intentions, and counter-plotted. 

“To save his beloved flag from the spoilers’ hands, 
he secretly sewed it between two sides of a bed-quilt 
and with his own hands quilted it down to hide it 
from curious eyes. He slept under that quilt every 
night until peace was declared. Then the Captain re- 
moved his ‘Old Glory’ from the ‘sandwich’ quilt and 
told his neighbours where it had been hidden. 

“The brave old man lived to see the Stars and 
Stripes again flying over that city and the same ‘Old 
Glory’ belonging to old Captain Driver may be seen 
any day in Salem — the old harbour from which it 
sailed with its Captain so many years ago.” 

As Jane concluded her story the Woodcrafters cried 
“How.” 

“Woodcrafters, I sent that letter to Shirmer, ask- 
ing to have the song I told you about mailed us at 
once. Now I will tell you why I am anxious to have 
that song for our National Birthday’s anniversary. 

“When ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was written our 
infant Nation was in the throes of war, and naturally 
the words are tinged with ‘The rocket’s red glare’ and 
the ‘bombs bursting in air,’ as well as the fire, murder 
and destruction that always accompany war. To-day, 
however, our America must stand for Liberty and all 
the great benefits that true Liberty brings a land. We 
should have a song with the words typifying what we 
wish manifested to the whole world. Hence, my pref- 


228 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


erence for the song called ‘Our America/ Let every 
citizen agree with the Great Spirit to follow the 
patriotic meaning of this song, and our land will take 
its right place for Liberty/' 

“Why, I think Miss Miller ought to do her share of 
the entertaining to-day and sing it for us now," added 
Zan, and the Guide felt called upon to sing the song. 


OUR AMERICA 


Alice M, Harrison Augusta E. Stetson 




I 

America, America, thou gavest birth 
To light that lighteth all the earth. 

God keep it pure ! 

We love that onward leading light; 
We will defend it with our might, 

It shall endure ! 



FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 


2 

America, America, our love of thee 
Is free-men’s love of Liberty, 

The Spirit blest. 

Which holds high happiness in store. 

When Right shall reign from shore to shore, 
From East to West. 

\ 

3 

America, America, thy seer-graved seal 
Foretells the perfect Commonweal 
Of God-made men; 

It’s eagle with unwearied wings 
Is symbol of the thought-seen things 
Of prophet’s ken. 


4 

America, America, on-pressing van 
Of all the hopes of waking man. 

We love thy flag! — 

Thy stately flag of steadfast stars, 

And white, close held to heart-red bars, 
Which none shall drag! 

5 

America, America, in thee is found 
Manasseh’s tribe, to Ephraim bound 
By Israel’s vow. 

Whose destiny is heaven-sealed; 

Far spreading vine in fruitful field 
God’s planting, thou! 

6 

America, America, faith-shadowed land. 
Truth dwells in Thee, and Truth shall 
stand 

To guard thy gate. 

Thy planted seed of potent good 
Shall grow to world-wide brotherhood, 
Man’s true estate. 

7 

America, America, the God of Love 
Whose name is ev’ry name above 
Is thy defense. 

’Tis thou must lead the longing world 
From phantom fears to Love’s unfurled 
Omnipotence. 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


230 

Silence reigned for a few moments after Miss Mil- 
ler’s singing ceased and then Teddy said, ‘^Ess, Teddy 
likes dat song!” 

‘From the mouths of babes’ — you know, Miss 
Miller,” said Zan, patting Teddy on the hair. 

“Well, I think we will begin our grass mats, now, 
children. We will rest from singing any more to- 
day,” suggested the Guide. 

Every one was busy for a long time thereafter, for 
the queer camp-looms and the weaving of the grass 
mats proved to be a very interesting process. 

The Little Lodge members wearied of the weaving 
long before the Big Lodge girls wished to stop work, 
so the Guide tried to think of some little game they 
might try while waiting for the mats to be finished. 

“Tell us a story?” asked Dot, seeing the Guide’s 
plight. 

“No, I want to leave stories for evening-time. But 
I know of a fine thing to make, if Billy and Paul will 
run down to the Sherwood’s and find out if Bill has 
any large pieces of glass in the bam,” suggested Miss 
Miller. 

Zan overheard the remark and called out, “Yes, I 
know there are lots of pieces of glass left from the 
front of the house. When we took the place the win- 
dows had wavy green glass in the sashes and Dad 
ordered clear white glass put in, and the other was 
put away in case we wanted it some time. Just ask 
Bill, he knows where it is.” 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 231 

Just as the boys started to run down the slope the 
Guide remembered another item. 

‘‘Oh, Billy! Try and find some sheets of tar paper, 
too. I ought to have some to make what I am think- 
ing of r 

“If he hasn’t any tar paper shall I bring a brush 
and pail of tar?” shouted Billy, seriously. 

“No, never mind that!” laughed Miss Miller, while 
most of the girls who overheard the remark laughed 
also. 

When they were gone, the Guide told the Brownies 
what she hoped to make. They all felt deeply inter- 
ested and were hoping the boys would succeed in 
getting the glass and paper; then they caught sight 
of both boys laden with the required articles. 

Half-way up the slope, the two boys were relieved 
of the burden, for eager children ran to help carry the 
paper and glass. Teddy and Tammy were given paper 
to carry as they were too small to be trusted with 
glass. 

Miss Miller led the Brownie Band over to a flat 
place in the woods directly back of the tents. Here 
she told them to select a sheet of glass and a piece 
of paper about the same size. 

This done, she said, “Now we will start the lakes.” 

“Lakes!” echoed Billy and Paul, for they had not 
heard Miss Miller explain about the work. So, the 
Guide had to tell them. 

“Now, if you will watch me make mine, you can 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


232 

each make one, too.” Miss Miller dropped upon her 
knees and began smoothing out a spot large enough to 
fit the sheet of glass she had selected. The roots and 
weeds were pulled out and the ground levelled. Then 
a piece of tar paper was torn off about the size of the 
glass. It was laid out upon the ground and the glass 
fitted over it. 

‘‘You see, children, the tar paper makes the glass 
look like a dark mirror, doesn’t it? Of course, it 
won’t be effected by the moisture of the earth as other 
paper would, so I prefer it to any other kind. Being 
black, it will look more like water when I am through 
with my lake.” 

Miss Miller then took the children into the woods to 
dig up some tiny ferns and wild flowers. These were 
carried back to the “lake” and carefully planted about 
the edge of the glass; a number of very small trees 
were found and also planted at the bank of the “lake” 
so that it looked very pretty indeed, when finished. 

“Now, I’ll just put a stone or two here and there 
where the bare ground still shows, and some patches 
of moss where I took out some roots. There now. 
Brownies! These plants will grow into cute little 
‘shore property’ and perhaps I will want to build a 
tiny log cabin on the banks for summer use, after I 
see how you succeed with your lakes.” 

The Brownies thought the green plants and small 
trees looked very real as they were reflected in the 
clear glass that imitated water. They liked this sort 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 233 

of fun and were soon busy making their own ponds 
and planting the shores with flowers. 

When the big girls saw what had been made, they 
exclaimed at the novel idea. 

‘‘The lakes would make very pretty table centre- 
pieces, wouldn’t they, Miss Miller?” asked Zan. 

“And so inexpensive and simple to make!” added 
Jane. 

“And the tar paper keeps a polished table from 
sweating and injuring the veneer,” explained Miss 
Miller. 

The Brownies were still engaged in finishing the 
lakes when the big members of the Tribe sat near the 
Council Seat and wondered what they would try to 
teach the children next. 

“We ought to start them making their bead-bands 
for the trimming on their ceremonial costumes, and 
there are the totems to paint and decorate for the 
camp!” said Zan. 

“We ought to give them simple lessons in home- 
cookery, too,” said Hilda. 

“Well, Fm doing my best with the dances !” sighed 
Nita. 

“YouVe doing fine! No complaints from that 
work!” said Jane. 

Miss Miller heard the conversation and came over 
to advise, “Fd hardly start the totems here — we will 
only be here a short time, you know. Of course, the 
children will want to carry their work with them, and 
it will be much simpler to have them begin the totems 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


234 

at permanent summer camp. But the suggestion to 
have a lesson in home-cookery is sensible.” 

‘Tt will soon be time to start dinner, so we may 
as well begin the lesson to-day,” added Hilda. 

The lakes were finished and every one admired them 
tremendously, then the Guide told the Brownies that 
they were to help cook the dinner that day. This 
made every child feel so important that the big girls 
smiled. 

Billy and Paul were told to wash and pare po- 
tatoes. Dot and Edith helped at the cooking, while 
Betty washed the lettuce. Teddy and Tammy were 
told to set the table over by the flat rock. 

The little boys felt so proud of the fact that they 
had to do this task without any one to tell them every 
move, that they wore a constant smile as the cutlery 
and plates were taken from the cup-board. 

As usual, Teddy was bossing the work, and Tammy 
obeyed. 

“Here, Tammy; tate dese plates an’ put ’em on dat 
tloth way ober by dat wock!” ordered Teddy, point- 
ing to the cloth spread out on the grass. 

Tammy started off with one plate at a time, Teddy 
calling after him. “Put him on dey aidge — not in 
dey middle ov de tloth!” 

So, true to orders, Tammy placed the plates on the 
edge of the cloth, but he arranged them all on one 
side of the square cloth, having the edges of the plates 
touch each other. 

While the dinner was cooking, Jane and two big 


FUN AT WICKEECHEOKEE CAMP 235 

girls went to the garden to pick strawberries and rasp- 
berries. When they returned with a great basket of 
ripe fruit, Jane said, ‘‘Oh, there are so many berries 
ripe that I think we ought to pick some more this 
afternoon. They will surely rot by morning!” 

So, it was decided to take baskets and go to the 
garden immediately after dinner. That would not 
take more than an hour’s time, and every one could 
take a swim after coming back to the Bluff. 


CHAPTER TWELVE 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 

J UST as the Tribe left the garden, an ominous sound 
was heard, and every one looked up at the sky, 
where clouds seemed to threaten rain. 

“Dear me, I hope it doesn’t rain just when we want 
to swim!” cried Edith. 

“It is better to sit inside the house in case it rains 
than over on the Bluff!” commented the Guide. 

“We could go swimming, anyway! Why should a 
little rain stop us ?” asked Billy. 

Everybody laughed, for it was a fact that folks 
never went swimming in the rain, yet they went in 
the water on a sunny day. 

“Just custom and habit, as almost everything else 
is,” said the Guide. 

“There! I felt a drop of rain on my face!” said 
Dot. 

“There’s another!” added Nita. 

“Goodness, here’s three — four — five ! Oh, it’s com- 
ing down fast! Run for the house!” shouted Zan, 
catching hold of Betty. 

Miss Miller caught up Tammy and two of the girls 
helped Teddy to run swiftly across the lawn. 

236 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


237 

The Tribe reached the porch before the rain fell 
heavily and Miss Miller said, laughingly, ''Maybe this 
rain came to make you learn your parts in the en- 
tertainment on the Fourth!” 

"Well, we’re willing to practise! What shall it 
be?” asked Elena. 

"What I have in mind will not need practise but 
careful application and work. I will need paper, glue 
and scissors to show you how to do it. Can you find 
those things in the house, Zan?” asked the Guide. 

"Oh, yes! we never pack up anything like that 
when we go back to the city. I guess I know exactly 
where to find them.” 

So Zan ran upstairs to look for the articles needed, 
while Miss Miller turned to Elena. 

"You’d better make a note of the things we use 
and copy it in the Tally Book later.” 

Elena went indoors to find paper and pencil in the 
desk and the Guide thought it best for all to go in- 
doors as the rain was beating down on the porch. 

"First, we’ll need a large clothes-horse,” remarked 
Miss Miller. 

Zan was coming down the stairs and overheard it. 

"A clothes-horse for a Fourth of July party!” 
laughed she. 

"Yes, if you have one about the place. I’d like a 
threefold wooden one, if you have it,” replied the 
Guide. 

'7ust the thing — out in the summer kitchen. I’ll 
run and get it!” 


238 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

When Zan brought in the clothes-horse Miss Miller 
said, ‘‘Just what we’ll need for the fire-works!” 

“Fire-works ! Oh, are we going to celebrate ?” cried 
some of the members. 

“Just wait and you will see the kind of fire-works 
I advocate!” laughed Miss Miller. “They won’t burn, 
or explode, and are absolutely guaranteed not to in- 
jure any one!” 

Everybody was mystified, but no questions were 
asked, for the Woodcrafters knew they would know 
all that was necessary when the time came. 

“Now, Zan, we will need some card-board — some 
of the large sheets we brought down for the flowers ! 
And some oiled paper for the windows, some glue, 
a few wire nails, and a flat piece of board,” said the 
Guide, while Elena made a note of the items. 

The moment the material was found Miss Miller be- 
gan to direct them how to work. 

“I think Billy and Paul and Zan can cover the 
clothes-horse with the white card-board sheets. Tack 
them on carefully so the tacks won’t tear out of the 
edges of the board.” 

“Next, Nita and Elena can take Edith and Dot and 
sketch some public buildings. You might take an ex- 
position building or the Capitol at Washington. Have 
the dome perforated and all the windows cut out so 
we can paste oiled paper over them. 

“Hilda and Frances and Betty can make a wheel 
after this pattern. It should be made of paste-board 
and be about six inches in diameter. The places be- 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


239 

tween the spokes must be cut out and filled in with 
coloured tissue paper, or painted oiled paper. Hilda, 
here’s the pattern to guide you.” 

Hilda took the picture of the wheel and studied it 
for a time to master the idea before cutting out the 
paper model. 



Pattern of Wheel 


Elena and Nita were sketching a beautiful build- 
ing with many windows and elaborate domes and 
the Guide said it would be very efifective when the 
light shone through the papers. 

The girls, with their Brownie Helper, punched holes 
in the cornices and domes for imitation filigree carv- 
ings; then the oiled paper was pasted over the open- 
ings that were meant for windows. 


240 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


Meantime, Zan and Billy and Paul were busy com- 
pleting the covered screen; the Guide showed them 
how to divide the centre wing of the screen into two 
parts — a lower and upper part. 

That done, Miss Miller took the sketch of the build- 
ing and fastened it to the lower section of the centre 
wing of the screen. This was tacked on the four cor- 
ners so it wouldn’t slip by handling or moving the 
screen about. 



‘^Elena, I would advise you to make rough drawings 
of these things — the wheel, the buildings, screen, etc., 
in case you want to refer to this idea at some future 
time,” said the Guide. 

Elena hastily sketched the finished parts and put the 
patterns with her other papers to be copied into the 
Tally Book when she had more time. 

The screen completed and the lower section of the 
picture attached, there now remained the work on the 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


241 

wheel and the upper half of the fire- works to be done. 

The board found by Zan was almost square and 
this had to be sand-papered smooth. Two small up- 
rights were made of some kindling wood found in the 
basket by the chimney, and after they had been shaved 
down to the right size they were glued into holes 
made in the square board. Then, a short piece of wire 
was used to fasten the revolving pasteboard wheel 



between the two wooden uprights, as can be seen by 
turning back to the picture of the wheel. 

The two' artists of the Tribe, having finished the 
work on the buildings, were told to make a picture of 
sky-rockets and other graceful fire-works. These were 
perforated with pin-holes so closely that they looked 
very good when held up against the light. 

Different designs were made, so there would a va- 
riety of patterns to choose from. Elena only sketched 
one, however, for use in the Tally. 

When finished, the fountain design was fixed in the 
upper section of the screen which was marked 



242 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

the girls were then told that their share of the work 
was completed. 

Miss Miller went to the closet under the stairs to 
get a bull’s eye lantern the Baker boys had told her 
of. She looked and groped for it, but could not find 
it, but she did find a magic-lantern; so this she said 
would answer the same purpose as the bull’s eye lan- 
tern. 

‘‘Girls, I’m sorry it isn’t darker, for I could show 



Use a Lantern 

you the fire-works now ! However, we will show you 
how it is done.” 

The magic-lantern was placed so that its rays would 
focus directly upon the card-board designs, as shown. 

“Now, when the room is dark, and this lantern is 
shining brightly, it will shine through the coloured tis- 
sue paper in the wheel and continue its rays until it 
strikes the screen. 

“The audience, sitting on the other side of the screen, 
will only see the buildings and coloured light as it 
streams through the perforations in the card-board. 

“By spinning the wheel carefully so that it will whirl 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


243 


for a time, it reflects various coloured beams of light 
in revolving and these, in turn, show through the holes 
and look like rockets and other fire-works coming 
from the roof of the buildings.’’ 

The plan was demonstrated by the Guide, who 
smiled at the surprised faces of the Woodcrafters. 

After every one understood and felt gratified to 
think he or she had helped make the fire-works, Zan 
said, ‘T suppose that might be termed another optical 
illusion !” 

‘'Quite true, for it is really an illusion in a dark 
room. You couldn’t be hood-winked into believing 
there were rockets rising from the screen if you saw 
it in broad-daylight!” laughed Miss Miller, while she 
walked over to the front door to see if the rain had 
ceased. 

“We may as well find something else to do — ^the 
rain is coming down faster and harder than ever!” 
said the Guide, coming back into the room. 

“The perforations for the fire-works reminded me 
of a little thing I used to make when I was a little 
tot!” said Hilda. 

“All right — anything goes in a shower like this!” 
urged Jane. 

“I’ll need some old envelopes and a pin — that’s all. 
But let me warn you that it is nothing to interest you 
big girls. It’s just a funny little thing for the 
Brownies!” reminded Hilda. 

“Never mind how silly it is — come on and make it!” 
insisted Zan. 



244 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

So, Hilda sat down at the library table and opened 
the flap of an envelope. She hastily sketched a pic- 
ture of a postman and then pricked the pencil lines 
with the pin. This done, she folded over the flap and 
it was done. 


Pinhole Envelope 

“But I donT see the fun, Hilda! Why must you 
have an envelope — any kind of paper will answer!” 
declared Nita. 

“Well, the flap of the envelope makes it a surprise, 
you see. If you want to mail a valentine, you can 
make one of these and send it away. When the one 
gets it to whom it is sent, they will wonder what it 
is, until it is held up to the light!” 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


245 


The Brownies thought the idea a fine one, but the 
Big Lodge girls laughed at the foolishness of the in- 
vention. 

'Well, I told you it was only for the little tots. I 
guess Teddy and Tammy think my game is wonder- 
ful!” retorted Hilda. 

"All of the Brownies do — just watch them trying to 
make funny envelopes of their own!"’ laughed Miss 
Miller, who had been watching the children work with 
a vim and had not heard the criticisms of the other 
girls. 

"I guess it is clearing up. Miss Miller!” suggested 
Nita. 

"Then we will start for camp,” replied the Guide. 

"Oh, dear! I wish it would rain all afternoon — 
we are having such fun with our envelopes!” sighed 
Edith. 

"There, girls!” came from Hilda, and her com- 
panions admitted she was right. 

"Come, Brownies — the rain has stopped and we can 
go. You can finish your fun some other day when 
it rains,” advised the Guide, taking Teddy by the 
hand, while Zan took Tammy. 

"We were having smh a nice time, Miss Miller!” 
said Dot. 

"But now you know how to make all of these things " 
you can do them at home, you know,” reminded 
Hilda. 

The Tribe just reached the group of oak trees that 
stood at the end of the front lawn, when suddenly. 


246 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

without warning, down came another heavy shower — 
exactly as if a great bag of water had been broken 
open to fall upon the unwary ones. 

With a shout and a laugh, every one raced back to 
the house — the small children being carried by the 
stronger girls. 

‘‘Oh, goody, goody I Now we can play some more r 
shouted Dot, clapping her hands. 

“Let’s play tag !” suggested Paul. 

“No, let’s make peanut animals — I saw you have 
some peanuts!” cried Dot, eagerly, but Paul hushed 
her suddenly. 

“I want to do some more pictures,” ventured Betty. 

“No, no! We all want to play Blind-Man’s Buff!” 
said Edith, shrilly, so her voice would down the others. 

“Brownies, Brownies! You’ll make us all deaf!” 
cried Zan, her hands over her ears. 

“Children, we will play some nice indoor game suit- 
able for a parlour !” declared Miss Miller. 

“There ain’t no such game!” grumbled Paul. 

The high-school girls were shocked at Paul’s gram- 
mar and Hilda winced, but the Guide said calmly, 
“Oh, yes, there is.” 

. “Tell us one!” demanded Dot, eagerly. 

“Well, I was looking for a sharp kitchen knife when 
we were making that screen, and I found a jar of 
dried peas. I put them in water to soak for a short 
time and intended using them later, but forgot all 
about them. Now, I will show you something.” 

No one responded to the Guide’s enthusiasm, but 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


247 

she went for the peas, nevertheless. Coming back, she 
placed the jar on the table and asked Zan to get some 
old corks from her father’s den, where he kept the 
bottles and things he used while experimenting with 
formulae and chemicals. 

Miss Miller took some matches and cut off the 
sulphur, then pointed the ends of the sticks. When 
Zan brought out a box of old corks, which she said 
were to be thrown away as being too brittle, the Guide 
showed the girls how to insert the stick in the cork. 

‘‘Now, there is your mallet! Elena, you can paint 
a coloured band about each mallet handle and about 
each croquet ball.” 

“Croquet!” gasped several voices. 

“Yes, isn’t that a quiet parlour game?” wondered 
Miss Miller. 

The Brownies were growing interested in the game 
by this time and were closely watching every move- 
ment the Guide made. 

“Elena can paint a band around the peas and Jane 
can cut out some small round disks of card-board for 
stands to uphold the wire wickets. Zan, are there any 
hair-pins upstairs?” 

“Mother had a whole box-full she won’t use because 
they are too thin. I’ll get them.” 

And Zan ran upstairs and was soon down again 
with a full box of wire hair-pins which were just 
what the Guide needed. 

These were bent over to form the wickets and the 
ends were inserted in the disks. The stakes were 


248 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

made of matches and were banded in water-colours. 

The croquet game was finished and just then a flash 
of lightning and a clap of thunder warned the Tribe 
that it was not yet practical to venture out. 

“We’d better have a match game of croquet!” 
laughed Zan. 

The handling of the tiny mallets and the awkward 
way the girls played the balls made every one laugh. 
But it was great sport ; so much so, that Billy hurriedly 
ran over to see if there were any more peas and hair- 
pins left for the Brownies. 

Edith and Paul joined him and they whispered to- 
gether. 

“I can make the mallets if you will paint them,” 
said Billy to his sister. 

“All right, and Paul can fix up the wickets!” said 
Edith. 

When Miss Miller looked around to find them, she 
was pleased to see them all hard at work. 

The sun had been shining a long time before any 
one in the house became aware of the fact. Then, 
they laughed and said what fun it was to play croquet 
with dried peas. 

They came from the house, planning other games 
and contests for prizes, when Zan ventured a remark. 

“I thought it was queer when Miss Miller said she 
hadn’t another idea in her head for a game !” 

“Did she say that?” laughed Nita, doubtingly. 

“Yes, when we wanted her to suggest something 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


249 

just before Hilda mentioned the silly envelopes, you 
know.’’ 

‘T may have said so, Zan, but it was true at that 
time. You see, I was caught in the rain and the top 
of my head was sprinkled so that the new ideas 
sprouted forth with fresh vigour!” laughed Miss 
Miller. 

'Tn that case, we will use the sprinkling can for 
your brain every time you complain of a lack of 
original ideas I” teased Jane, while the children laughed 
at such a funny joke. 

“You won’t need that treatment for some time, I 
hope, as the shower seems to have started a large 
crop of ideas. Some of them I used to play when I 
was a child,” returned the Guide. 

“Oh, tell us some!” cried Edith. 

“I can tell you of a race that is such fun! You 
must place six potatoes in a row about three feet 
apart. Then place six more in a similar row some 
distance opposite — say about ten feet apart. Two 
players each have a spoon and start a race. 

“They have to pick up a potato in the spoon, one 
at a time, and carry it to a given point. Each potato 
must be carried in this way until all have been taken 
from the row to the goal. The player must keep 
one hand behind him and hold the spoon in the other 
hand. The one carrying all of the potatoes to the 
goal first wins the race.” 

“Say, Billy, let’s play it when we get to the Bluff, 
will you?” exclaimed Paul. 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


250 

After the evening meal, the Tribe took a short walk 
while they watched for the stars, and the Big Lodge 
tried to add another to their list waiting to win a grand 
coup, 

‘‘You promised us a story to-night. Miss Miller?” 
said Dot, glancing at the other Brownies to find if 
they approved. 

“Dot, I think Til tell that story this time!” an- 
nounced Jane, suddenly inspired with an idea. 

Miss Miller called for silence, and Jane began her 
story. 

“A little girl named — oh, let’s call her Dot, for 
short — had been given a handsome doll for a birth- 
day gift. Every moment Dot could spare from school 
or home duties, she was upstairs busily making dresses 
for her beautiful toy. 

“One afternoon, after school. Dot was running home 
to play with her doll when a school-mate called to 
her to invite her over to her house to play. 

“ ‘Oh, no, I can’t come to-day ! I promised mamma 
to help her at home!’ replied Dot, knowing well that 
she never helped her mother in anything, and that 
she wanted to get upstairs with her doll. 

“ ‘Oh, I’m sorry, ’cause I wanted to show you my 
new book,’ said Mary wistfully. 

“Dot tossed her head disdainfully at the idea of 
a book, when she had a fine doll waiting for her! 
She had not said a word about her doll to her little 
friend, for she feared lest Mary might want to come 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


251 

in and see it, and she was too selfish to want any 
one to hold the doll. 

‘^Dot soon reached her own gate and forgot all 
about the fib she had told, for she really didn’t count 
that a fib — it was only an easy way to get out of 
doing what she had no mind to do. 

‘'Slamming the front door, Dot went to the coat 
closet and threw in her books and hat. Her mother 
called from the kitchen and asked, ‘Dot, did you put 
away your books and hat?’ 

“ ‘Of course I did !’ replied she, starting upstairs, 
but knowing quite well that her mother meant her to 
hang up the hat and place the books on a shelf. 

“Dot didn’t give a second thought to the story she 
told her mother, but hurried to her room and soon 
held her doll in her arms. Then the doll was placed 
in a small chair and the little girl took her sewing- 
basket with the doll-dresses over to the window. 

“Snow clouds had hung heavy all day and soon Dot 
heard sleet tinkling against the panes of glass above 
her head. In a short time, the radiator valve began 
hissing with steam so the little girl knew her mother 
must have gone to the furnace-room to open the 
damper that would send more heat up through the 
pipes. The extra warmth made Dot feel very cosy, 
but she didn’t think of being grateful to her mother 
for the forethought — most children take all these lit- 
tle acts from mother as a matter-of-course, and few 
ever try to repay mother’s daily work and planning 
to make the home happier, but what a difference it 


252 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

would make if all children would express more grati- 
tude! 

“It may have been the whistling of the valve or it 
may have been the tinkling of sleet on the glass — 
whatever it was, Dot felt quite drowsy. Suddenly, 
she saw the tiny spiral of steam from the valve turn 
into queer little elves who danced about in the mist 
without seeing her, so she called to them : 

“ ‘You dear little fairies — ^have you come to play 
with me?’ 

“Before she could say another word, however, the 
golden-haired gauzy-robed elves turned into black- 
draped, ugly-looking little goblins who came at her 
scratching and snarling fiercely. 

“‘Here, sirs! You all go back where you came 
from and let me play with the fairies,’ cried Dot, 
angrily. 

“‘Fairies! There aren’t any fairies here. We are 
the only ones you ever saw,’ cried the leader of the 
goblins. 

“ ‘I just guess I know a fairy when I see one!’ re- 
torted Dot, scornfully. ‘You’re such ugly little black 
things you’d smut anything clean and white. Go away 
from that doll or I’ll throw something at you!’ 

“ ‘Humph ! You can’t hurt us, ’cause anything you 
threw would go right through us and we’d be here 
just the same! You see, we are not made of flesh 
and bones as you are — we are the result of your own 
thoughts! If you always held pure, kind, good 
thoughts we would be pure and white and lovely. If 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


253 


you hold cruel, greedy, untrue thoughts we are just 
what you see us now!’ 

“ ‘What I Do you mean to say that you were the 
white elves I first saw coming in the mist? Then 
what made you turn black?’ cried Dot. 

“ ‘That is easily explained. You felt a fleeting bit 
of gratitude for the nice warm home on such a bit- 
ter day, and that helped to make us white for a few 
seconds, but you soon turned us black again!’ ex- 
plained the leader of the goblins. 

“ ‘Do you mean to tell me that I could turn you 
pure and white again if I was kind and good?’ asked 
Dot, sceptically. 

“ ‘Just so ! And the truer and finer you became 
yourself, the more radiant we would be until some 
day you would shine as radiantly as we were, so that 
every one would love you!’ 

“Dot sat and stared at the black goblins in amaze- 
ment, but she wished she could be kind and good like 
Mary! She would feel so much happier if she were 
only true to every one! 

“At that. Dot was surprised to see the ugly goblins 
turning grey and she suddenly realised that it was her 
wish to be good that changed them. So she kept on 
desiring to be better and truer so she might shine 
as the goblin said she would some day. 

“And the goblins turned still fairer until Dot 
thought they were almost white, and soon they would 
be quite white. 

“Then she thought of a way to turn them into 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


254 

fairies again: ‘she would run downstairs and hang 
up her hat and put the books on the shelf! Then, 
she would run over and invite Mary over to hold her 
dolir 

“Without looking behind her she ran down and did 
as she planned to do, bringing Mary back to the room 
to play with her doll. The moment Dot came in the 
room she looked for the elves and was so happy to 
find they were shining white — almost dazzling! 

“Then the leader cried: ‘Oh, if you will only be 
like this all of the time, we will be so happy, and we 
will be able to help you much more, too, than if we 
were ugly goblins — 'cause there are so many good 
fairies that we can call upon to help, while the black 
goblins are growing paler every day, and some day 
they will all be shining white, too! Now, I want to 
tell you our names so you will know which fairy is 
helping you in certain ways. I am the leader and I 
am named Love. This big fairy is Charity. My 
right-hand helper is Truth. And my left-hand helper 
is Humility. All these little fairies in my band are 
called Wisdom, Faith, Hope, Purity, Temperance, and 
many more who will always be glad to wait upon you 
if you wish true!' 

“Dot was about to promise to always be true and 
kind when her mother called to her to open the front 
door for Mary, who was coming up the walk to visit 
her. 

“Then Dot rubbed her eyes and stared, but could 
not see a sign of the fairies anywhere, but she still 


A RAINY AFTERNOON 


255 

heard the tinkle of the silver bells they rang when- 
ever they jumped about. 

''So she ran downstairs and opened the door, won- 
dering how Mary got out of the room upstairs, where 
she was playing with the doll only a few minutes 
before.’’ 

Jane’s conclusion of the fairy-tale brought forth a 
chorus of "How’s!” but Dot said nothing, for she 
was pondering the similarity between the little girl in 
the story and some of her own short-comings. 

"Jane, that was a sensible fairy-tale. We’ll all try 
to have bright fairies with us after this, instead of 
smut-black goblins 1” exclaimed Miss Miller. 

"Tell us another one!” cried Edith. 

The girls laughed at the greed of Brownies for 
stories, and Jane added, "Some other time, but not 
now !” 

"Well, I say, let’s sing our evening prayer and go 
to bed,” suggested Zan, and the plan was soon acted 
upon the quiet reigned over the camp-ground on the 
Bluff. 


CHAPTER THIRTEEN 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 

D uring the next few days every one was busy 
with the work and fun of Woodcraft. The grass 
mats were finished ; the little glass lakes looked flourish- 
ing with the ferns and flowers growing nicely around 
the edge of the glass ; the songs and dances to be used 
at the party on the Fourth were practised until the 
Brownies knew them by heart and could act as well 
as any one. Miss Miller had added a sweet little Folk 
Song, written by Goethe — “Gefunden,’’ and this 
simple acting song was soon mastered by the children. 


GEFUNDEN 



256 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 


257 


1 

“Ich ging im Walde, 

So fur mich hin, 

Und nichts zu suchen 
Das war mein Sinn. 

2 

Im Schatten sah Ich. 

Ein Bliimlein stehn, 

Wie Sterne leuchtend, 

Wie Aeuglein schon. 

3 

Ich Wollt’ es brechen 
Dasagt es fein: 

“Soil Ich zum Welken 
“Gebrochen sein ?” 

4 

Ich grub’s mit alien. 

Den Wiirzlein aus, 

Zum Garten trug Ich’s 
Am hiibschen Haus 

5 

Und pflanzt es wieder 
Am stillen Ort; 

Nun zweigt es immer 
Und bliiht so fort.” 

'T want to give a ‘Flower Pageant/ if possible, 
girls,'' said Miss Miller, when they were suggesting 
ideas to fill in an extra half-hour. 

“It sounds good, but how do you propose to do it?" 
asked Zan. 

“Well, I brought down some rolls of crepe paper 
that I had left over from our last winter's entertain- 
ment. Some of the very flower dresses we used at 
that time are in perfect condition, and can be made a 


2;8 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

bit smaller for some of the Brownies to wear now. 
If you think we can do this, I will cut out the paper 
for some new costumes so as to take the place of the 
ones that were badly torn at that entertainment,’^ ex- 
plained Miss Miller. 

‘We need seven costumes in all — ^how many have 
you that can be used again?” asked Nita. 

‘T have four good ones — the chrysanthemum, the 
rose, a violet, and the pond-lily. Then, I have the 
patterns for a tulip, an Easter lily, the jonquil and a 
narcissus. Most of my crepe paper is white and yellow, 
so I thought we would use the three flowers that 
would need those two colours.” 

“The little ones can help us make the dresses, I 
should think,” suggested Hilda. 

“Of course, if we watch them work. That is one 
reason for having the play,” smiled the Guide. 

So the paper and patterns were brought forth and 
the Brownies called to try their hands at being flor- 
ists — although they would have to grow paper flowers 
this time. 

The Easter lily was chosen by Betty, and every 
one said it was very appropriate for her sweetness 
and meekness. 

Seven large petals were cut out of the white paper, 
Zan using the pattern to guide her. These were 
fastened to a green muslin band around the body just 
under the arms ; and the edge of the petals were turned 
outward by drawing a round-headed hat-pin down the 
centre of each petal. Over the shoulders and falling 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 


259 

down over the top of the petals were green leaves 
similar to those growing on an Easter plant. Betty 
expected to wear white shoes and stockings, and a 
yellow hair-ribbon and bow. From under the white 
petals fell yellow stamens — made by twisting yellow 
crepe paper into long spirals and sewing the tops to 
the band of green under the petals. 

When the lily was completed it was very pretty and 
the Brownies demanded a peep at the costumes al- 
ready made for them. 

The plan of having a “Rower Show’’ was hailed 
with great enthusiasm by the Brownies, for they re- 
membered how the play given by the Big Lodge was 
admired at the time. So the girls brought out the 
flower dresses that could be fitted for the smaller 
children. Billy preferred to be a jonquil and have a 
simple suit, and Paul said he would take the tulip 
suit. That provided for the two big boys and left 
Edith, who wanted the rose, and Dot, who took the 
violet dress. Teddy took the pond-lily and Tammy, 
the large chrysanthemum with its gorgeous petals. 

“Goodness! I wish Paul would exchange with 
Tammy! We’ll have to chop off half of the leaves to 
make the chrysanthemum fit a mite like Tammy. But 
it will just about fit Paul. Tammy could have the 
tulip made his size and look ever so cute!” cried 
Hilda. 

“Your sister is right, Paul, and I wish you would 
do that, and save us so much time and work !” added 
Miss Miller, 


26 o little WOODCRAFTER’S book 

^‘All right, then. Anything to keep peace in the 
family!” sighed Paul. 

Some of the Brownies laughed, but Zan said, ‘Taul, 
I don’t like to hear you say such things before the 
children. You never hear them at home, yet I can’t 
understand where you boys pick up such sayings I” 



Paul looked embarrassed and said, ‘‘How do you 
know I never hear them at home?” 

“Well, I know you never do! Mother would be 
broken-hearted if she could hear you hint at such a 
thing!” denounced Hilda, emphatically. 

“Remember, Paul, not to repeat these offences!” 
warned Miss Miller, then turned her attention to the 
flower-making. 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 261 

*‘We will make the tulip next, for it is so easy to 
do,” said the Guide, showing Nita how to cut out the 
petals. 

Two rows of yellow petals were to be used for the 
tulip, each row having five petals in it. These were 
crinkled in the centre with a hat-pin and turned in 
towards the centre instead of outward like the lily 
petals. The rest of the costume was finished off like 
the lily stem and leaves. 

For the jonquil, a centre piece of yellow was first 
cut out and the top edge scalloped like the pattern 
shown here. One side was then pasted smoothly over 
the opposite edge to form a tube. This was gathered 
and tied at the bottom, leaving the scalloped edge at 
the top open. The petals were formed and pasted to 
a green band under the arms as with the other flowers. 
The tube was then pulled on over the feet and the 
part gathered at one end was fastened to the band 
that passed about the body under the arms. This al- 
lowed the petals to fall over the tube. A row of 
green paper leaves were sewed about the top and a 
little twisted paper cap was perched on the head. 

The narcissus was made in the same manner, by 
crinkling the petals like the tulip and lily, and fasten- 
ing the petals to a green band that ran around the 
body under the arms. The petals of the tulip were 
not crinkled in the centre, but were rounded out by 
placing each petal in the palm of one hand and draw- 
ing the cushion of the thumb down the centre of the 
paper very gently. 


262 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


The tulip, jonquil and narcissus had no stamens, 
as the flowers covered the limbs of the wearer so that 
stamens would not have shown. 

The end of the petals of the narcissus were slightly 
turned outward, but the centres were rolled by the 
hat-pin, so they were slightly dented inwards. (Each 




Patterns of Flowers 

petal shows on the curved or dotted line where it is 
to be crinkled or rolled by a hat-pin head.) 

All of the children were expected to wear white 
stockings and white shoes, while a twist of green paper 
could be wound about the heads of the girls, and a 
tiny paper-leaf cap perched on the heads of the boys, 
on the day of the performance. 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 263 

It took the Brownies the rest of the day to com- 
plete the paper costumes, but they all felt well repaid 
when the work was done, for it promised to make a 
goodly show on the Fourth. 

‘T think it will be so much nicer than a half- 
learned veil dance,’’ said Nita, as the flower dresses 
were laid away in the little log cabin to await the 
day of celebration. 

‘‘Yes, and we still have the song, you know. So 
nothing was lost by the exchange except your worry — 
and that is always best to let go of!” laughed Miss 
Miller. 

The second of July dawned with a foggy and threat- 
ening atmosphere. The sky was grey and the air so 
damp that the Guide advised all to pack up some 
things and start for the house. 

Consequently, everything that could be injured by 
rain or prolonged fog was put away in the cabin 
while each camper had a bundle to carry to the house ; 
then the fog lifted slightly and a steady rain started 
to come down. 

“It’s a shame to have it rain to-day! We only 
have one more night to sleep out-of-doors to win our 
honour, you know,” grumbled Billy. 

“If it keeps on raining hard by night time, you can 
all sleep on the porch of the house, you know. It is 
all open on the three sides. But we would have to 
take cots over, in that case,” ventured the Guide. 

At that critical moment Bill Sherwood appeared 
on the Bluff. 


264 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

‘T kinder thought you might be goin’ over to the 
house through this rain ! It’s goin’ to be a real down- 
easter, too, an’ it’s li’ble to last two to three days!” 
said he. 

“We hope it will clear before the Fourth ! It doesn’t 
matter how much it rains to-day or to-morrow 1” said 
Zan. 

“Oh, it’ll clear off by then, all right. When it comes 
down good and stiddy it alius does clear away sooner, 
you know,” said Bill to Miss Miller, who was quite 
a weather prophet. 

“We want to start at once for the house, but we 
don’t know what to do about the cot-beds. The big 
girls and I can sleep in the bed-rooms, but the 
Brownies want to win an honour and they only need 
one more night out-of-doors I” added the Guide. 

Bill scratched his head thoughtfully for a moment, 
then said, “Wall, you all start along with your tooth- 
brushes and ping-pong games and I’ll hook up the 
plough boss to the hay-waggin and haul over them 
cots and baggidge. I has to take him over to the 
barn anyways to git a lot of feed for the cow and 
him.” 

So the Tribe started off through the woods, Nita 
beating the tom-tom and Miss Miller leading with the 
song “March, march, march, march,” which was fast 
becoming the members’ favourite march song. 

“I’m glad I didn’t eat up my peanuts, ’cause now 
we will have plenty of time to make more toys, won’t 
we ?” asked Paul. 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 265 

‘‘Y!es, brother, at last you shall have your reward !” 
laughed Hilda. 

While Zan was trying the pulleys on the awnings, 
the Guide went indoors to see what the Brownies 
were doing. She found Paul spreading out his pint 
of peanuts for the children to choose from. 

‘T’ll sit down and do some little pictures for you 
so you can copy them for your peanut animals,’’ of- 
fered Miss Miller. 



The children were delighted with the suggestion and 
she soon completed a little ink drawing of a horse 
and cart. It was so simply sketched that the Brownies 
could readily follow the idea and make their peanut 
toys accordingly. The first model they made was a 
horse made of a peanut, and Bill’s haywagon made 
of a small paste-board box — the wheels were made 
of round disks of card-board fastened on with pins. 
The head of the horse was a tiny peanut attached to 
the body by a pin run right down through the head. 
The eyes were made of ink and the tail of black 
thread. This gave Teddy and Tammy more pleasure 


266 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

than all of the other toys made by the Brownies. 

When the first finished toy was ready to experiment 
with, the younger children dropped upon their knees 
and eagerly watched Billy draw the horse and cart 
across the floor. 

‘Wep! The wheels turn, all right shouted Paul. 
“And he waggled his tail!” shrilled Teddy, ex- 
citedly, when the east wind blew across the floor and 
waved the black threads. 



The Peanut Pets 


This comment caused a general laugh, but Billy left 
the children to proceed with his next toy. The others 
soon jumped up and concentrated their attention on 
making their own horses and wagons. 

Ever and anon, however, Teddy and Tammy cast 
envious looks at the completed toy, while Zan and 
Elena continued pasting and finishing the toys for the 
two little ones. 

The kitten and the canary were quite simple to 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 267 

make, for the Brownies used tiny feathers from an 
old pillow for the bird, and some clipping of fur 
from the frayed edges of the black rug that was 
spread in front of the fire-place for the kitten. 

The animals were glued in card-board disks and the 
legs and beaks were made of tooth-picks. 

When a picture of some boats was placed before 
the little workers, they shouted with pleasure, for they 
knew what fun they could have sailing the boats in 
the brook. 

But the boats were not so easy to make as it seemed 
at first glance, for the sails would topple the whole 
craft over and it was found the mast had to be short 
and placed directly in the spot where the shell would 
balance evenly. After many trials, however, Billy 
succeeded and then was able to help the others per- 
fect theirs, too. 

‘'Say, Billy, s’pose we take our boats out to the 
rain-barrel and sail them?’' whispered Paul, when his 
boat was completed. 

“Maybe Miss Miller won’t like us to,” objected 
Billy. 

“She isn’t here, and anyway, we can try just a little 
and come right in again!” persuaded Paul. 

So the two boys left the room unseen by the others 
and crept out of the kitchen door to try the boats. 

But, before the boats were launched on the top 
of the sea in the hogs-head, Zan missed the boys, 
and with the experience gained from two brothers, 
she surmised the truth. 


268 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


“Here, both you boys come in out of the rain ! Why 
do you suppose we left the Bluff if it wasn’t to keep 
you Brownies dry!” called she, going to the door. 

Edith and Dot felt so elated to think the two boys 
were caught in mischief that Dot exclaimed, “Give 
them both a Chump Mark!” 

But the Guide did not deem the misdemeanour so 
dreadful as to deserve such extreme punishment. 

The other Brownies soon completed their boats, too, 



and Zan brought in a small tub of water for the boats 
to sail in. Great fun the children had, racing their 
boats or causing huge waves to roll up in the tub and 
engulf the ships. 

After an hour’s play the children wearied of the 
boat game and Miss Miller saw that they were quite 
ready for a new suggestion. 

“Who wants to help me get the dinner in the 
kitchen?” asked she, with a lively manner. 

“How !” came from the Brownies, for they thought 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 269 

home-cook was great sport! They had only had one 
day of it, you see. 

While Miss Miller was seeking for the salt-box in 
the cupboard, she found a bag of dried lima beans. 
She was about to replace the bag when she had an 
idea. 

‘‘Zan, do you folks want to keep these beans for 
anything in particular?’’ asked she. 

‘‘Mercy no! No one knew they were there!” 
laughed Zan. 

“Guess Miss Miller wants to make a golf game out 
of them,” added Billy, grinning. 

“Well, you’ll see what I want to do with them after 
dinner,” retorted the Guide, smiling. 

Immediately after the dinner was cleared neatly 
away, the Guide poured the beans out on the long 
table in the living-room. 

“Is it ‘buttony, buttony, who’s got the button’?” 
cried Edith. 

“No, child, it’s ‘beany, beany, who’s got a bean!’ ” 
giggled Zan, the irrepressible. 

Miss Miller pretended to be grossly offended at such 
remarks, but she continued counting out a dozen beans 
for each Brownie, leaving the rest in the bag. 

Next, she mixed some water-colours and with a fine 
brush painted eyes and a tail on a nice fat bean. Then 
she cut out card-board snout, legs, and ears, and 
glued them to the bean. Finally, she stood him up 
on his feet and the children clapped their hands when 
they saw the evolution of a lima bean into a pig. 


270 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


^‘When I was looking for the Bulks eye lantern, I 
saw a few old coloured picture books in the closet 
under the stairs. One of them happened to be an ani- 
mal picture book, so this will do nicely for a guide 
for you Brownies to use to get ideas of animals and 
colours for them.’’ 

Before Miss Miller finished speaking, Billy was in 
the closet looking for the book. As it was old and 
the pages loose, each child could take a picture and 
use it for a model. 

While the Brownies made novel bean animals, the 



The Lima Bean 


Big Lodge girls baked some cakes for the party, and 
mixed the filling for sandwiches. Mrs. Sherwood 
intended baking the delicious home-made bread she 
knew how to make, for sandwiches for the entire 
company. 

When the Guide again visited the living-room to 
see how the animals were behaving, she found many 
strange creatures all painted and arranged in rows 
on the table, but the Brownies were engrossed with 
another game. 

Teddy was playing with his beans and Tammy was 
stretched out on the fur rug fast asleep, but the others 
were very much awake. 


PREPARING FOR THE FOURTH 


271 


‘‘Oh, Miss Miller — guess what!’' cried Dot. 

“Goodness, I never can!” laughed the Guide. 

“Billy has taught us such a lot of Indian signs with 
the left-over beans ! He makes believe they are rocks 
or stones and when he makes the sign we have to 
guess what it means, according to the Manual of 
Woodcrafters,” said Paul, eagerly. 

“Show Miss Miller how we do it, Billy?” urged 
Edith. 

Billy then selected a large bean and a smaller one 
and placed the latter on top of the former; this done, 
he looked at Betty, whose turn it was to reply to the 
sign. 

“ ‘This is the Trail,’ ” said Betty, joyfully. 

“Right! Now I will change the sign and go back 
to one we had before,” remarked Billy, placing three 
beans, one on top of another, the largest at the bot- 
tom and the smallest one on top. 

“Your turn, Paul,” reminded Edith. 

“That means ‘important warning,’ ” said Paul, 
glancing at the Guide for commendation. 

Billy nodded approval and changed the beans so a 
small one was on top of the large one and another 
small one was placed to the right of them. Then 
it was Edith’s turn to answer. 

“ ‘Turn to the right,’ ” replied she. 

“Right again!” said Billy, changing one bean and 
placing it at the left of the two beans. Then it was 
Dot’s turn. 

“ ‘Turn to the left,’ ” said she, without hesitation. 


272 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

Billy then piled up a little heap of stones — or rather 
beans — and asked Paul if he knew what they meant. 
This was a new lesson which had only been repeated 
once, but Paul knew it. 

‘Tt means, ‘we camped here because one of us was 
sick.^ 

“Now, Pm going to teach you some new ones,^' said 
Billy, making various signs out of combinations of 
the beans, thus making the Brownies understand the 
meaning of the different signs. 

Miss Miller was so pleased with Billy’s idea that 
she went back to the cooks and said, “Do you know 
that the Brownies are on the road to win an honour 
for Sign Language?” 

Of course the Big Lodge had to run in and see 
for themselves, and that interrupted the lesson for 
the day. 


CHAPTER FOURTEEN 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 

T he following morning the rain still poured as if it 
would never stop, so the girls of the Big Lodge 
realised that they must find other entertainment for 
the Brownies than that of the day before. 

‘T used to make some things that were heaps of 
fun,’' suggested Zan, as they all sat about in the 
Council Ring. 

‘^Show us what?” demanded Edith, eagerly. 
“Elena will have to help me, for it is tedious work. 
We need the card-board and Indian ink. Have you 
the ink here?” Zan inquired of Miss Miller. 

“I saw a bottle of it on your father’s desk,” re- 
plied the Guide, sending Billy for it. 

Meantime Zan marked off a square on the card- 
board about twelve inches on each side and then 
dotted lines as in the following illustration. 

These dotted lines divided the square into seven sec- 
tions, each section numbered and each line lettered so 
that they could be kept track of when the designs 
were made. 

“Here, Elena, now it’s your turn to ink all of 
these squares on the other side, leaving the side with 
273 


274 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

the numbers on white/’ ordered Zan, shoving the 
pieces across the table. 

When Elena had completed inking one square and 
it was dry enough to handle, Zan cut the sections 
apart on the dotted lines. 

‘‘What are you doing that for?” asked inquisitive 
Dot. 



“This is what we call a ‘working model’ — ^that is 
a pattern we can use as a guide,” replied Zan. 

“According to Zan, Miss Miller must be our ‘work- 
ing model,’ ” laughed Jane. 

“The best ever made!” quickly declared Elena. 

“And one we will do well to pattern after!” added 
Zan. 

Miss Miller smiled at the compliments that she felt 
were sincere, but Edith bent over Zan and whis- 
pered, “Please don’t stop to talk !” 

Zan took the seven pieces and arranged them to 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 275 

make a figure. Every one watched with interest, and 
when the figure was finished Zan gave it a title. 

‘'Here you see Billy Brownie all ready to read to 
you from the Little Lodge Tally Book 

This pleased the children and they laughed, so Zan 
shuffled the pieces and turned to Billy, saying, “See 
if you can make the same figure that I did just now.” 

A Browniegram 

Billy took the sections and studied the numbers for 
a time, then tried to make the same figure which had 
seefned so easy when Zan did it. But he tried and 
tried, without succeeding. 

“Gracious, Fll give it up! But I can make some- 
thing else, for almost anyway you place them, you 
can see something in the finished picture,’^ said Billy, 
quickly placing them in a new arrangement. 



276 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

The others laughed at his failure to do such an 
easy thing as placing the pieces as Zan had them, but 
he finished his design and then told the others to 
guess what it was. 

'Tt's a musical top!’^ cried Dot. 

‘‘Hardly — for a top wouldnT be upside-down,’’ said 
Nita. 

Quiet little Betty then said, “It’s a lady!” 

“No, it’s an aero-plane going up!” shouted Paul. 

Miss Miller wanted to encourage Betty, so she 
asked, “Why do you think it is a lady, Betty?” 

Betty felt shy at having all eyes turned towards 
her, but she controlled it and said, “ ’Cause she has 
a big picture hat on her head and her elbows are 
sticking out at the sides where she is holding up her 
skirt in crossing the street.” 

The children laughed, but Miss Miller was pleased 
with the child’s keen observation, so she urged her 
to describe more fully. 

“I see her feet standing in the middle of her skirt — 
can you ?” asked Betty, pointing to the lowest pointed 
section. 

“Yes, that is quite plain,” remarked Zan, smilingly. 

“And those two points are where her skirt hangs 
down from the hold her hands have on them. But 
maybe she didn’t have a big hat — maybe that’s her 
umbrella, ’cause it’s raining!” ventured Betty. 

“I can’t see any lady there — I see George Wash- 
ington in a cocked hat and a mantle hanging down 
from his shoulders!” exclaimed Paul. 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 277 

'Tt is evident that the sex of the Brownie deter- 
mines the interpretation of the figures I’' laughed the 
Guide. 

‘Well, shall I call it a lady or a general ?’’ asked 
Elena. 

“Why not both titles? The lady won’t care and the 
general can’t object!” laughed Zan. 


xz 

The Lady Browniegram 

While they were talking Nita mixed the sections 
up so they might try another combination. 

Edith tried to place the pieces so she could do the 
same picture of the general or lady over again, but 
neither would comply with Edith’s wishes; however, 
she made an arrangement that made the Brownies 
guess again. 

“It looks like the gardener raking our lawn,” 
laughed Billy. 




278 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

[ “No! Dat’s Alfwed playin’ piggy-back wiv Teddy!” 
cried the little Brownie who had been deeply interested 
in the whole procedure. 

“Is that you on his back— why, how black you 
are!” teased Edith. 



The Medicine Man 


Teddy stared hard at the figure for a moment and 
Billy said, ‘T can’t see you anywhere on Alfred’s 
back!” 

'Teddy dus fell off!” shouted he, victoriously. 

The others laughed and Miss Miller was about to 
suggest that Teddy’s title be adopted, when Paul cried, 
"He’s a pedlar!” 

"But he hasn’t any pack!” objected Zan. 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 


279 

“Couldn’t he be a book-agent and carry them under 
his arm?” asked Billy. 

“Oh, yes, he could sell tooth-picks, too, and carry 
them in his vest-pocket, I suppose,” retorted Jane. 

“He hasn’t any arms at all! Call him a cripple!” 
called Paul. 

“No, no! let us play and have all the wholesome 
fun we can, but let us not suggest any mental pic- 
tures for our Brownies to hold, of suffering or other 
pitiable conditions!” quickly added Miss Miller. 

Zan understood the Guide’s aversion to undesir- 
able talk or suggestions of sin, disease and death, for 
she believed that one cannot hold too many optimistic 
and good ideas, so that the opposite kind must be 
controlled eventually. 

“I have it!” cried Zan. “He is a Medicine Man 
with moccasins on his feet and a Navajo blanket 
over his back! His head may look square, for he 
wears a bonnet of coups on his head!” 

“Medicine Man — that’s it!” abetted the girls; so 
that was the name given him. 

“Now, the Brownies must all sit down and make a 
set of these Brownie-grams for themselves,” advised 
the Guide. 

The suggestion met with approval and there was 
intense quiet for a time, while the children cut and 
inked and planned. 

It cleared off during dinner and before two o’clock 
the sun was shining as brightly as if such things as 
clouds and rain never were seen or heard of. 


28 o little WOODCRAFTER’S book 

“We’ve got a hard afternoon’s work before us, if 
we expect to make the camp presentable for the party,” 
said Zan, the "cnoment the dishes were washed. 

“Zan, will you call up Bill on the ’phone and see 
if he is coming over with the horse — if so, he can 
cart back the cots on the wagon,” advised Miss Miller. 

Bill said he would be glad to get the cots and bag- 
gage in an hour’s time, when he hooked up the horse 
to drive to Hamilton’s. 

Although the guests coming to the party were not 
expected until noon on the Fourth, the Tribe had 
everything ready and were impatiently waiting when 
cat-calls and a great confusion of shouts were heard 
coming from the direction of the Big Bridge. 

The first thing Paul said, in greeting his mother, 
when the visitors had climbed the slope, was, “Had 
your dinner?” 

“I should say we had!” replied Fiji, speaking for 
all. “We stopped at a country hotel and the distracted 
owner must have wondered where such a lot of hungry 
people ever hailed from I” 

During the preceding winter, the doctor had had 
men clear the broken or diseased trees out of the 
woods immediately surrounding the Bluff and the 
largest of these were cut in proper lengths and placed 
in a circle about the Council Fire. Here now, fond 
parents and indulgent visitors were invited to sit. 

Miss Miller and Zan opened the Council, as usual, 
but most of the business was omitted to leave more 
time for “Reports of Scouts,” which included the 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 281 

work done since coming to camp and for the enter- 
tainment proper. 

The blue-prints of ferns, flowers, and grasses were 
passed from hand to hand and greatly admired by 
every one, while the Brownies stood smiling at the 
pleasure their parents expressed. 

The description of wild birds, wild animals, and 
wild flowers came next, each Brownie choosing what 
they wished and telling all about it. 

Then the forest trees were described and a few 
legends of the stars were told before the Guide sug- 
gested a change in the programme. 

‘‘Now, friends, we have all been quiet for so long 
that I advise the Brownies to show you their pop- 
ular dance. Miss Nita Brampton will explain the 
story of this dance, as she is the teacher of the 
Brownies’ Class of Dancing.” 

Nita told the story of Nana-bo-jou, while Paul and 
Billy assumed the hideous masks of the goblins, and 
the other Brownies prepared for the dance. The loon 
had a feather in her hair, the fox a brush hanging 
down her back, the bear had a shaggy rug, brought 
from the house, Tammy had his little red monkey’s 
cap perched upon his head, and Teddy, the collar made 
of tinsel. 

Edith represented the Nana-bo-jou, so upon Nita’s 
conclusion of the story, the dance began and continued 
with gusto, particularly the last part where the Nana- 
bo-jou is overcome and Black Magic is destroyed. 

The guests enjoyed and laughed at this dance as 


282 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


heartily as any member of the Tribe could wish for, 
and they all asked for another distinctly Indian dance. 

Paul had begged so hard to be permitted to do the 
Lone Scout that he had practised faithfully and now 
could perform very well. So Billy, his instructor, 
gladly loaned him his Indian suit and bonnet, also 
the shield and spear. 

Nita started beating the tom-tom and Paul soon 
appeared from out of the bushes. He held the spear 
high above his head with one hand, and the shield 
before him. With a loud whoop he sprang to the 
centre of the circle and quickly changed the spear 
to his left hand which held the shield. He made the 
rolling-call by patting his mouth with the flat palm of 
his hand while he gave the “Oo-oo’^ sound of warning. 

After this, he danced twice around the ring swing- 
ing the spear and throwing both hands up above his 
head to cause the spear and shield to clash together 
as a prowess of his hunting. 

When he made rapid passes at his audience they 
shrank back making the Woodcrafters laugh merrily 
at their fear. Then he did some impromptu steps 
and gestures very gracefully, always showing self- 
possession and confidence — both new qualities in Paul. 

Next came the time for the scout to go hunting, so 
he crouched low and shaded his eyes with one hand 
and pretended to be listening for suspicious sounds 
and watching the movement of the twigs and leaves. 
As he danced around the ring in two-step, keeping 



THE LONE SCOUT 




THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 283 

time to the beating of the tom-tom, the visitors clapped 
encouragingly. 

At the beginning of the fourth ix)und, Paul stopped 
suddenly and started in surprise as he found a trail — 
showing by his acting that he had done so. 

The music then changed to march time and the Lone 
Scout followed an imaginary trail, picking up dry 
leaves, or watching the direction the plant-life turned 
in the breeze. He sniffed the wind and sought here 
or there for a possible sign of game. 

Suddenly, he pretended to spy a deer feeding in 
the copse, so he crept up slowly, while the tom-tom 
beat slower time, until he was near enough to cast 
the spear. He then rose from the crouching posi- 
tion and made a feint of throwing the spear, then 
another feint as he stood upright, and at last he was 
about to launch the weapon, when a significant sound 
came at one side of him. 

He turned swiftly and saw a band of enemies 
ready to close in about him. He dropped down in 
the hiding grasses and crept to the sheltering bushes. 
Once there, he fled to a safe distance, where he turned 
to fling a defiant call to his enemies and shake his 
spear in derision; then, he ran to the protection of 
the deep forest and was lost to sight. 

The dance was unusually well-done by Paul, and 
at the end, where the scout finds protection in the 
forest, he dropped gracefully upon his knees and 
rested. The applause was really deafening, the visit- 


284 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

ing boys giving cat-calls and whistling between their 
fingers in a shrill manner. 

Miss Miller was delighted at the applause given, 
for she knew how encouraging this would be to Paul, 
as well as being an incentive to the other children. 

Zan then announced that their next number was a 
patriotic song recently written to represent the desires 
and yearning of the American People who knew that 
Liberty and Freedom must be the foundation of last- 
ing prosperity and contentment. 

The songs had arrived from New York the day be- 
fore and Miss Miller had ordered enough copies to 
distribute among the guests. 

‘"When our Tribe sings this song called ‘Our 
America,’ I wish every one to join us — whether you 
can sing or not; it is not the physical that sings, you 
know, it is the spirit!” said the Guide. 

Dr. Baker smiled at Miss Miller’s words, and when 
they all stood to sing, the doctor, who never sang a 
correct note in his life, joined the singing with a 
heartiness that bespoke volumes for his spirit. 

Zan then invited the visitors to join in the “March, 
march, march, march” song by Farwell, singing as 
they marched about the Council Ring. This the guests 
also enjoyed as being part of the Brownies’ fun. 

After all were seated again, the Green Com Dance 
was shown and Nita was then invited to dance the 
Storm Cloud. 

While she was doing this, Zan and Miss Miller 
dressed the Brownies in their flower costumes to act 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 285 

in the tableaux. As the seven little blossoms posed 
gracefully, Elena recited the jingles written by the 
big girls to fit each character and pose. This enter- 
tainment was so admired by the guests that many of 
them took snap-shots of the groups in their various 
poses. 

Immediately after the tableaux Paul whispered 
anxiously to the Guide, “Don't you think they ought 
to have refreshments, n'ow?” 

“I will see what Zan says, but rest assured, Paul, 
that I will see that you get an extra slice of cake 
for that Lone Scout of yours!” laughed Miss Miller. 

Paul sighed contentedly and sat down beside Betty 
to bide his time. Meantime, Mrs. Sherwood bustled 
out of the circle of visitors and went to the out- 
door kitchen, where stood the table with sandwiches 
and cake. 

Before any new suggestion could be introduced, 
Dr. Baker stood up and gave the sign to the Chief, 
then said, “I have been requested by some of the 
male contingent present among your guests that you 
give another deer hunt similar to the one we enjoyed 
last summer.” 

“We will be pleased to do so. Doctor, on condition 
that Fiji has nothing to do with the get-away!” re- 
torted the Guide, making every one laugh as they 
remembered the trick the mischievous boy played on 
the Band of Woodcrafters the summer previous. 

“I will offer to carry the deer !” called the doctor. 

At this the laugh turned to shouts, for it would 


286 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


indeed be amusing to see the professional city man 
doing all sorts of queer turns to carry the straw- 
stuffed deer away to a hiding place of safety. 

''You folks laugh as much as to say that I can’t 
save the deer! Well, I will show you!’’ promised 
the doctor. 

As soon as the hand-clapping was quieted, he added, 
"Of course, my ceremonial costume has not yet been 
beaded, but I am prepared to wear my camp uniform. 
I will just retire for a moment to change my appear- 
ance !” 

So saying, the jolly doctor hurried to the little 
log cabin and closed the door. In a few minutes he 
reappeared with a pair of blue overalls drawn over 
his city clothes. When the children saw him in his 
"country-life clothes,” they shouted "How!” and the 
guests laughed merrily. 

Then the doctor called to his friend, who was sit- 
ting on a low tree-stump, smiling at the wholesome 
fun. "See here, Hubert, aren’t you going to be a 
little boy, too! Get up and join this deer hunt!” 

As the doctor was ready to go, the Guide called all 
of the hunters to their places and explained what 
must be done. She then said she would remain at 
camp with Mrs. Sherwood to attend to refreshments, 
while the others went on the trail. 

The moment the ten minutes’ leeway given the doc- 
tor was ended, the hunters started on his tracks. But 
half an hour passed while the Guide completed all 
arrangements for refreshments and still no sound was 


THE FOURTH OF JULY PARTY 287 

heard that the hunters had caught the ‘‘Deer’^ doctor. 

Miss Miller sat upon the Council Chair wondering 
where they could possibly have gone, when a whoop 
close behind her made her jump up. 

It turned out to be Mr. Hubert, who suspected 
the doctor of a clever dodge and, instead of going 
with the rest of the crowd of hunters who followed 
the tracks, crept back waiting for a sound or sign 
from the bushes surrounding the camp on the Bluff. 

He was well acquainted with the doctor’s habits 
and knew that his friend was not very likely to tramp 
miles up and down rough mountain-sides. 

The result was that he heard a faint crackling of 
dry twigs and he followed the doctor back to the 
log cabin at camp. There he found him sitting upon 
a log chewing contentedly upon a strip of sweet-birch. 

Mr. Hubert led his captive out to the Council Ring 
and claimed the honour for killing the deer. Miss 
Miller laughed at the clever dodge both men had played 
and wondered where the other hunters could be scout- 
ing at that time. 

'‘Well, as we are alone, I want to tell you of a 
plan Hubert and I have outlined for this summer,” 
said Dr. Baker, throwing himself upon the grass, 
while Mr. Hubert sat beside him. 

He .then told Miss Miller the surprise in store for 
Wako Tribe, but they were not to hear of it until the 
following morning. 


CHAPTER FIFTEEN 


AT WOODCHUCK CAMP IN THE ADIRONDACKS 

T he Tribe slept late the following morning, and 
when all assembled for breakfast, they were 
dumbfounded to hear that they were to return to the 
city that afternoon. 

'‘Would one day more or less make any difference 
to Dad?'^ asked Zan. 

'T don^t want to go home whined Paul. 

"Neither do I !’' added Dot. 

"Teddy tsay all dey time!” cried the little fellow. 
"Tammy too!” quickly came from Teddy's vassal. 
The Guide placed both hands over her ears while 
every one had some argument to give for remaining 
at Wickeecheokee. When the confusion had quieted 
somewhat. Miss Miller explained. 

"Is there any reason why we should not enjoy camp 
at some other spot? You know, we were only invited 
to remain until the day after the Fourth !” 

"But mother and the boys are not coming down 
for a few days — ^they said so!” remonstrated Zan. 

"Besides, we have things to do that can’t be made 
in a city. It has to have the country!” complained 
Edith. 


988 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 289 

'‘Oh, but I didn’t say we had to remain in the city ! 
The country is a large place, Edith!” returned Miss 
Miller. 

"Maybe you have some idea in your head!” sug- 
gested Billy. 

"I rather think I have! But it was given me by 
Mr. Hubert and the doctor the short time we were 
alone waiting for the deer-hunters to return to the 
Bluff.” 

The children quickly drew closer to the Guide and 
waited for the revelation. 

"Last summer, while we were beginning our Wood- 
craft Camp here on the farm, the Baker family joined 
the Huberts in taking a cottage on the sea-shore where 
the three boys enjoyed the novelty of a summer on the 
beach. 

"During the summer the Hubert’s Adirondack camp 
was closed, but Wako Band used this farm. Now, 
we have been planning to go to some mountain camp 
this summer, but have not found what we wanted, 
until the doctor’s idea was placed before me yesterday. 

"The Bakers will use the farm this summer for 
the boys’ camp and 'Jack Hubert will be here with his 
friends. Mr. Hubert will come down with the doctor 
whenever they can, but that leaves Mrs. Hubert to 
go to Woodchuck Camp all alone. So, we have been 
invited to spend our summer in camp with her.” 

Before the Guide could conclude her proposition, 
there was such a babel of shouts that she had to shake 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


290 

her head in disapproval. After a few moments they 
quieted again. 

‘'You see, Mrs. Hubert is as much interested in 
Woodcraft as her husband is, but she likes to work 
with the girls, while he will assist the doctor in this 
boys’ camp. 

“The Adirondack camp comprises several hundred 
acres of woodland and a small lake. There is enough 
cultivated land there to raise certain vegetables, and 
there is also a chicken-run where eggs and chickens 
are furnished during the summer. 

“There is the large cabin always used by the 
Huberts, and several large and small tents that have 
been used in the past by Jack and his school-mates. 
We will not have to bother about any shelter or cots, 
as those are already there, and the ones Mrs. Reming- 
ton offered to send up with us will more than accom- 
modate us. Now, who votes to go back home at once 
and get ready for Woodchuck Camp?” 

So many “Hows !” sounded that there was no doubt 
it was a unanimous vote. Then questions came fast 
and furious. 

“When do we start?” 

“Who’s going?” 

“What shall we pack up?” 

“How far is it?” 

“What route do we travel?” 

And so many other queries that Miss Miller refused 
to reply to any unless they were answered by her fol- 
lowing words. 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 291 

‘^Mrs. Hubert leaves on Monday — next week — 
which gives us five days in which to prepare to be 
ready to meet her at the station and go with her. I 
shall be there !” said Miss Miller. 

‘^So’ll added Zan. 

‘What about the Brownies?^’ asked Billy. 

“Hilda can take me,” cried Paul, with relief. 

“And I will look after Dot!” offered Jane. 

“I can help with Betty and Tammy!” said Zan. 

“I can offer to help look after the Remingtons!” 
added Elena and Nita. 

“Maybe mother won't let Teddy go without Anna!” 
ventured Edith. 

Teddy frowned belligerently at his sister at that, 
but the Guide's next words quieted his fears. 

“I was talking over the 'phone to Mrs. Baker while 
you children were still asleep this morning, and I 
hear that the plan was talked over on the way back 
yesterday. As soon as I get home I am to let Mrs. 
Remington hear from me so that the three of us — 
Mrs. Hubert, Mrs. Remington and myself, can make 
arrangements.'' 

“Then let us hurry back !” cried Edith. 

“We've got to clean up camp and pack our things!” 
reminded Billy. 

“No, Dr. Baker said we were to start as soon as 
possible and leave the camp as it was for Bill to 
clear up. Bill has had his orders,” explained Miss 
Miller. 

“Then we must vote our thanks to Bill and Mrs. 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


292 

Sherwood for doing it for us!” declared Billy, who 
forgot nothing that gave Woodcraft the honour. 

The Guide nodded her approval, while Edith added, 
‘‘And that nice Dr. Baker! We must write a letter 
and thank him for the camp these last ten days!” 

‘‘How! How!” approved the Tribe members, so a 
letter was written and signed by every member — 
Teddy and Tammy making their marks after their 
written names. 

“Oh, it doesn’t seem true that we are really going 
to the mountains!” sighed Nita. 

“Just think of it — two months!” cried Billy, danc- 
ing a “scalp” dance. 

“I can’t get back to the city quick enough to get 
ready, can you?” Edith asked Dot, excitedly. 

But each one managed to be ready when Bill Sher- 
wood blew the horn to call them down to the road 
where stood the lumbering farm-wagon, well-filled 
with straw for the children to sit in. 

One team could not draw so many children so Ham- 
ilton’s carryall had been engaged to carry the Guide 
and some of the Woodcrafters to the railway station. 
Teddy and Tammy were in Miss Miller’s charge, 
while the five girls who founded the Little Lodge sat 
in the wagon with their charges. The other girls 
rode in the carryall. 

After they had really started Dot cried, “Oh, I 
wanted to carry my turnip-basket back home !” 

Every one laughed, but Miss Miller said, “You can 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 293 

trust it to Mrs. Baker’s care. And next fall you can 
start some new ones.” 

Good-byes were called to Bill and the other driver 
after the campers were settled in the cars, and soon 
they were on their way back to the city, showing fine 
coats of tan for the ten days in camp, and cheeks 
plumped out while faces looked happy and contented, 
instead of peevish or irritable as is often the case 
with children in cities. 

During the ensuing five days, so many telephone 
calls were made that the doctor laughingly said Wako 
Tribe ought to start its own company. Purchases 
had to be made, material selected for Woodcraft work 
that summer, and all the accessories that go to make 
camp-life a joy, had to be attended to by the grown- 
ups. 

It had been planned that Mrs. Remington, who 
felt a deep interest in Wako Tribe, should accompany 
Mrs. Hubert to Woodchuck Camp that summer, and 
the following summer, if all was well, they would 
all visit her Island in Maine where a fine Woodcraft 
Camp was established. 

Mrs. Remington explained that she could loan the 
camp to some other Guides of the League, as Elizabeth 
expected to go with some friends to a Summer Art 
School and her son had already joined some friends 
on a trip across the continent. 

When the invitation to camp in the Adirondacks 
was extended to all of the members of Wako Tribe, 
which numbered twenty-one big girls not including the 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


294 

Guide, it was found that many of them had made 
other arrangements. One girl expected to go with 
her parents to Canada, another was going to the sea- 
shore, another was going West, and so on, until there 
were but nine big girls and the seven Brownies going 
to Woodchuck Camp. With Miss Miller, and Anna, 
the governess, it would make eighteen to camp, while 
Mrs. Remington and Mrs. Hubert would occupy the 
Cabin. 

Mr. Hubert sent the large automobile to the camp 
with the extra baggage, the maid, and Tim, the chauf- 
feur. They left before the rest of the party and 
arrived at Woodchuck Camp the day before the camp- 
ers did. 

From the railroad station to the camp was a dis- 
tance of over ten miles, much of it upgrade through 
wild forestland. Another large car had been engaged 
from the nearest garage to carry the Brownies, with 
Anna, Zan and the Guide, while the Hubert car was 
filled with the others. 

Jane was the only member of the Tribe who had 
ever seen such primeval forests, so it was a wonderful 
sight for the others. 

The first glimpse of the camp site with its beautiful 
lake, towering pines, and thriving little garden of 
vegetables, made the members of Wako Tribe rejoice 
in silence for a time, but then there was Bedlam for 
every one wanted to express their joy at once. 

Tim had the tents up, cots made, and other things 


WpODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 295 

all ready for the Tribe so, upon their arrival, they 
could unpack at once and get settled. 

Before a week had passed, the campers all felt very 
much at home, and ready to begin some interesting 
work. 

They were located near enough to the lake for it 
to be readily accessible for swimming, canoeing and 
fishing; then, too, the beautiful rushes that grew in 
the small inlets offered inducements for weaving, and 
the spring of cold water near the tents provided 
washing privileges. 

So, with every one happy and eager to win honours 
and coups during the summer, the Guide outlined some 
plans for work. 

^T think we will begin on our totems first ; we want 
them to place before our tents. Mrs. Remington 
brought many designs with her, and Elena can suggest 
colours while we all help the Little Lodge in painting 
the totems.” 

Accordingly, the Woodcrafters were soon at work 
on the totems, which were made of barrel-heads 
sand-papered down to a smooth finish. Each Wood- 
craftcr could select a design for the individual totem, 
hence Edith chose a five-pointed star and painted it 
red on a white ground. 

“I like a star because it will be the same as that 
on the American Flag, but Fm making it red, ’cause 
I like red!” explained she, when Elena asked her 
about it. 

Paul chose a duck for his totem, and Zan helped 


296 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

him to enlarge the design to fit the totem before he 
began painting it. 

‘T’m going to paint a blue on the background ’cause 
that means either sky or water.” 

Billy was such an adept at the work that he needed 
no help from others, but soon painted his totem. He 
had chosen a fox for his emblem as he had heard 
Figi say the new boy’s band was to be called the Grey 
Fox Band. And Billy had secret ambitions of joining 
that Band the following year, when he should have 
attained the proper age to leave the Brownies. 

The Fox Totem finished, Billy decided to decorate 
some canoe-paddles belonging to the new canoe that 
had been sent to Woodchuck Camp by Mr. Reming- 
ton. He selected some designs from the assortment 
loaned the Brownies and was soon ready to sand- 
paper the paddles. 

'Tf you fasten a strip of sand-paper to a block of 
wood it will make your work a lot easier,” suggested 
kind-hearted Tim, who was so willing to help the 
Woodcrafters in every way. 

All were so intensely interested in their work that 
not a word was spoken, hence the sudden commotion 
that sounded from the group where Paul and Dot 
were painting caused all the more surprise. Instead 
of subsiding it grew louder and the Guide sent Zan 
to investigate. 

I She ran over and heard Dot wailing while shaking 
a paint-brush threateningly at Paul. 

^Wes, you did, too ! Your old foot kicked it over !” 


FAINTING THE TOTEMS 



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WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 297 

“You hadn’t any business to let the old paint-pail 
sit right in my way!” retorted Paul. 

“Well, anyway, you’ve got to give me your blue 
paint!” continued Dot, scowling at Paul. 

“I guess not ! Why should I ?” cried Paul, angrily. 

“I’ll take it, if you don’t give it to me!” 

“Just try and see what you’ll get !” scoffed Paul. 

Zan appeared at the moment Dot pulled up a clump 
of sod and threw it at Paul. He dodged it and the 
dirt fell into the paint-pail and scattered over his 
freshly decorated totem. 

“I’ll make you pay for that !” screamed Paul, jump- 
ing up to run for Dot’s totem. 

“Here, here! What’s all this fuss about?” asked 
Zan. 

“He spilled all my paint !” cried Dot. 

“She spoiled my totem!” shouted Paul. 

“Tell me how it happened and let me decide what 
to do,” said Zan, trying to calm the Brownies. “Billy, 
will you explain?” 

“Better let Dot and Paul explain first — then I will 
add my opinion!” 

Zan smiled for Billy scored one that time, so she 
turned to Dot for the story. But Paul hurriedly be- 
gan his tale. 

“Well, you see, I had a cramp in my leg ’cause it 
was doubled under me so long, and when I stretched 
it my foot turned over her pail of paint — that’s all! 
Then she got mad and fired a big lump of dirt all 
over me and my totem and the paint!” 


298 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

“Oh, 000! What a-a-a ’’ Dot started in to 

say when Zan interrupted her. 

“Wait a moment, Dotf Merely tell me what you 
did and what did Paul do?” 

“Well, he’s a big story-teller, anyway! I was 
only painting my totem when he said, mean-like, ‘Get 
back out of my way!’ 

“I told him I couldn’t move ’cause the tree was 
right in my road and my little dish of paint was too 
full to move! 

“Then he never waited a single minute but just 
pushed his old foot over to overturn my paint! I 
told him to stop shoving against my totem and he 
wouldn’t. When he said lots of real mean words at 
me I threw a teeny bit of grass at him, but it hit his 
paint-pan instead!” 

“Billy, can you give me any extra information on 
this?” asked Zan, wishing to be fair with both chil- 
dren in the quarrel. 

“All I can add is that they are both wasting good 
time in a bad quarrel ! Why not get some fresh paint 
from Elena and go on with their painting? But, for 
goodness’ sake, Zan, put them with enough trees be- 
tween them to save any more things being kicked over. 
A tree won’t tip if Paul kicks at it!” said Billy seri- 
ously. 

Elena and Zan laughed delightedly at Billy’s prac- 
tical way of judging the matter, and Zan said, 
“You’ll be a Judge in the Supreme Court, some day, 
Billy.” 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 299 

Dot was given some fresh paint and Paul was sta- 
tioned at some distance where his feet could not inter- 
fere with others. 

The painting then proceeded without more trouble, 
until Teddy got up to admire the art of the other 
Brownies and, returning to his own work, he stumbled. 
That caused him to sit right down in the small tin lid 
which was filled with white paint. 

He looked anxiously about, but couldnT see the pan 
so he jumped up and started hunting for it before the 
Brownies knew what had happened. Then, it was 
found that the tin was fast to the back of Teddy's 
bloomers so that he couldn't see it. 

The others had a great laugh at Teddy's expense, 
but the little Brownie laughed as merrily as any, 
while Elena filled the little dish with fresh paint. 

Then the horn blew for dinner and, during the 
meal, Elena asked Mrs. Hubert if Billy might use his 
art on the canoe and paddles. Permission was given 
and Mrs. Remington suggested that the Alaskan fig- 
ures represented on the miniature totem-pole standing 
in the cabin be used for the designs. 

‘T brought that totem all the way from Seattle, chil- 
dren," said Mrs. Hubert. 'Tt came originally from 
Sitka, and was sold to a captain who lived in Seattle." 

‘‘By the way, Brownies, do you know that Seattle is 
named after a mighty Chief?" asked Mrs. Reming- 
ton. “His house was about five hundred feet long 
and the posts were all elaborately carved. A royal 
dwelling, indeed, had this Chief Seattle!" 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


300 

In the afternoon, while the Brownies finished paint- 
ing their totems, the Big Lodge girls started on the 
bead-looms so that the children could begin making 
bead-bands as soon as they were through with the 
totems. 

Mrs. Hubert assumed the responsibility of the Little 
Lodge that afternoon while Mrs. Remington assisted 
the big girls with the bead-looms. 

For several days thereafter, the children were in- 
tensely interested in making bead-work, then they tired 
of that for a time. But during the time they had 
been weaving, the Big Lodge experimented with a 
telephone apparatus so that they might speak to the 
cabin without running back and forth. 

When the Brownies wearied of the bead-work Billy 
said, “Let us make a telephone, too !” 

This appealed to the others, so Paul and Billy soon 
found some empty baking-powder and condensed milk 
cans on a heap back of the garage. Tim helped them 
melt off the ragged rims where they had been cut 
open, and he also waxed the twine they expected to 
use for the conductor of the message. 

A length of about a hundred feet of twine was 
rosined and then each end was pushed through a hole 
punctured in the ends of the cans. A knot secured 
the twine inside the can, and then the telephone was 
ready for the children to play with. 

It mattered not to the Brownies that their apparatus 
was crude and faulty, so long as they derived all the 
fun they did from their tin cans and waxed twine. 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 301 

while the Big Lodge were completing a fine piece of 
work. 

After this, no one wanted to paint, and a telephone 
had been made; hiking, swimming, rowing, and other 
water-sports, besides flowers, birds, forestry and star 
study were matters of course in Woodchuck Camp, but 
there must be some new work to do to interest the 
active children; so Mrs. Remington had a talk with 
Billy, who was very clever with carpentry work, and 
he agreed to superintend the Brownies while they built 
something of wood. 

There was such a quantity of good down-timber of 
all kinds and sizes that Billy suggested that he use 
some of the pieces to make a rustic article. His 
mother approved, and he sat down to sketch a crude 
pattern of a book-shelf for his guide. 

Of course, Tim was a most valuable ally in this 
plan; so, after gathering suitable wood the Brownies 
began to construct the book-shelf. 

The shelves were made of planed boards found in 
the attic of the cabin, left over when the carpenters 
built the house. The posts and brackets were made 
of the hard wood found in the forests, the bark hav- 
ing been peeled off and the wood polished. 

Tim showed them how to build the frame-work so 
it would be firm before beginning to fit the shelves and 
nail them in place. Teddy and Tammy were sure 
they were making wonderful things, but their ideas 
of proportion were so queer that the four posts of the 
book-racks they made were all different lengths, and. 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


302 

of course, no self-respecting book could be expected to 
rest upon the shelves even if the shelves themselves 
would agree to remain in a permanent position. How- 
ever, the baby Brownies never seemed to worry over 
such a small matter as a teeter-tawter book-case. 

When the carpentry work was finished the children 
began to cut and paint their totems on the posts and 
on top of shelf. 

The work on the book-cases took several days, but 
the Brownies were highly commended when the work 
was completed. Even the Big Lodge thought it was 
splendid handicraft. 

‘Tf you Brownies can make a book-shelf as nicely 
as these are done, you ought to make your own bead- 
looms, too, and win an honour for it,’^ suggested Zan. 

“And they can help us build that cabin we want 
to make!'* added Jane. 

“Oh, are you girls going to build a house?’* cried 
Edith. 

“We want to, pretty soon, but we must find the 
wood and wait for nails, tools and other things first; 
so that we each can work without waiting for Tim*s 
one hammer and saw!” said Zan. 

The letter ordering the tools was sent to the post- 
office the next day and, while waiting for the things 
to come, the big girls had the Brownies build some 
more bird-houses to erect in the trees, and at the 
comers of the garage and cabin. 

The bead-looms were started too, so that each 
Brownie might have one of his own when he returned 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 303 

home. The bead-work started on the girls’ looms was 
worked industriously until each Brownie had a head- 
band, and trimming for the ceremonial costumes. 
These were made and finished with the help of the 
ladies and Big Lodge girls. 

One afternoon, a heavy thunder storm came up and 
the Tribe had to run for the dry shelter of the cabin, 
where they sang and danced during the downpour. 
It was then that a big party was planned for friends 
and relatives who would take the trouble to come to 
Woodchuck Camp to see the wonderful progress the 
Little Lodge members had made during the summer. 

‘We must have some new songs and dances, you 
know,” said Nita, eager to teach the willing Brownies. 

“Yes, something different from the ones we gave 
on the Fourth,” added the Guide. 

“I know a new one since then,” cried Billy. 

“What — can you do it for us!” asked Zan. 

Billy smiled with such superiority at that query that 
his mother nudged Miss Miller and both of them 
smiled. 

So, Billy sang and danced the old song. 

The next day Miss Miller said, “We need new 
camp brooms and Mrs. Hubert says there is a spot 
some distance from camp where reeds and rushes 
grow. So, I suggested that we pack up a picnic lunch 
and spend the day there. We can cut the material 
for the brooms and come back to camp in the eve- 
ning.” 


304 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


BUMBLE BEE 




I 

Bumble Bee superbly dressed in velvet, jet, and gold. 

Sailed along in eager quest, and hummed a ballad bold. 

Morning Glory clinging tight to friendly spires of grass, 
Blushing in the early light, looked out to see him pass. 

2 

Nectar pure as crystal lay within her ruby cup; 

Bee was very glad to stay, and tried to drink it up. 

“Fairest of the flowers,” said he, “it was a precious boon, 

May you still a glory be, each morning, night, and noon.” 

The idea was hailed by every one, so early the next 
morning lunches were packed and the Tribe started 


WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 305 

to hike for the distant place where the broom could be 
found. 

Mrs. Hubert led the way and they walked along 
finding a trail through the forest. They had walked 
for a long time before Mrs. Hubert said they were 
almost at the place she had in mind. 

The Tribe members were not sorry to rest when 
they finally reached a lovely spot on the shores of a 
beautiful lake. 

‘^Oh, did you know this lake was here?” cried Nita. 

' “Yes, isn^t it pretty? Almost as beautiful as our 
own, don't you think so?” said Mrs. Hubert. 

Different opinions were given, but Billy said noth- 
ing. 

The Guide and Mrs. Hubert watched him closely, 
for they wondered if he guessed the truth! 

The reeds and rushes for brooms were cut and 
every one had a merry time making camp brooms, 
before Mrs. Hubert called them to help with the din- 
ner. 

“Oh, we haven't any water ! Is there a spring near 
here?” asked Hilda. 

“We can dig an Indian Well — near the lake,” sug- 
gested Zan. 

Then Billy said, “I have a better plan. Miss Miller, 
will you please come over here while I speak to you?” 

Miss Miller instantly complied with the request and 
Billy whispered to her. 

“This is our very own lake, but Mrs. Hubert led 
us a long way around that inlet and every one is 


3o6 little WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

twisted in location. Now, our camp is right over 
there across that .little peninsula of land, so Til hike 
across and bring back some good water from our 
spring!’’ 

Miss Miller had hard work to keep from laughing at 
the keen Woodcraft sense of the boy, but she admitted 
that he was right. However, she said he would be 
tired out from carrying a pail of water across the 
tangled woods that separated the camp ground from 
the picnic place. 

‘Wou didn’t think I was going to carry it over, 
did you ?” scorned Billy. 

''What then?” wondered the Guide. 

'^Why, I’ll let Paul go with me and we’ll bring back 
two pails of water in the canoe. Then we can paddle 
back all of the blankets and pans and other stuff we 
had to lug over this morning when we hiked from 
camp !” 

Miss Miller laughed to herself and called Paul over 
to hear the proposition. 

When she joined the picnickers, Billy and Paul had 
started across through the woods to find good water, 
she said. 

Then she whispered to Mrs. Hubert and Mrs. Rem- 
ington : "Do you know that Billy is a better Wood- 
crafter than any of us? We might have spared the 
burden of carrying the axes and other things if we 
had given a thought to the canoe and the trip by 
water.” 

While the two boys were absent, the Tribe enjoyed 



“hail, O brothers!” 




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WOODCHUCK CAMP IN ADIRONDACKS 307 

some dances given by Nita, and then a shout was 
heard coming from the lake. 

Every one jumped up in surprise for they had no 
idea that strangers might be near their camp site. 
Running down to the shore, the girls were amazed 
to see a canoe much like their own at camp, being 
paddled swiftly across the water. Then, they saw 
two Indians dressed in ceremonial robes paddling the 
canoe. 

Finally, Zan cried, “What joke is this?^’ 

But Billy called out to the speechless Tribe, “Hail, 
O Brothers) We bring a blessing of pure water!” 

At that he stood up and steered the canoe safely to 
a tiny cove where it could be anchored. 

“Hail, O Brave 1” laughed the Guide. 

“Welcome to our shores!” added Mrs. Hubert, 
laughing at the surprise of the Brownies. 

As soon as Paul and Billy had lifted the two pails 
of water from the canoe, Zan cried, “Will you tell 
us how you got back to camp so soon and canoed here 
with this water ?” 

Then Billy explained how he discovered the hoax on 
the girls, and determined to get the canoe so the 
baggage could be taken back over the water. 

“And we found an easy trail over that peninsula, 
too, so you can go back to camp that way. We blazed 
a trail for you!” added Paul. 

So, the brooms and other articles were taken by 
canoe and the campers followed the trail back to 
camp. 


CHAPTER SIXTEEN 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 

T he tools ordered arrived in camp the day after 
the picnic, and every one began to work on the 
cabin. Tim proved to be an indispensable boss, for 
he knew just what to do and how to do it. The mem- 
bers of the Tribe made admirable ‘‘joumey-men’' 
learning the trade, for they were eager and willing 
to be taught, and the grown women enjoyed superin- 
tending the Brownies. 

The wood had been gathered during the time that 
elapsed since the order had been sent in, so there was 
plenty of timber to work with. 

After many days of sawing, hammering (some- 
times a finger caught the blow) and nailing, the cabin 
showed signs of nearing completion. It still lacked 
windows and a door, but these were minor items to be 
finished last of all. 

While some of the campers made the windows and 
glazed the sash, others worked on the door that was 
made in Dutch style, an upper and lower section. The 
totems were painted on the doors and great crude 
hinges made of some pieces of zinc found in Tim’s 
garage. 


308 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 309 

When the graceful flower-pots made earlier in 
camp by the Brownies were hung at the corners, and 
a large flat step laid in front of the door, the cabin 
was pronounced completed! 

And it was well that the cabin was finished that 
day, too, for it was needed soon after completion. 

The summer thus far had been an ideal season with- 
out other rain than the showers which quickly passed 
over, leaving the camp as dry as ever. But Tim 
ventured to say that a wet spell was brewing and he 
advised the girls to place all of their tools and other 
precious things in the cabin to keep dry. 

And it was well that the Big Lodge obeyed Tim’s 
advice, for that very night a fine drizzle began fall- 
ing and in the morning everything was saturated and 
the air was as chill as in November. 

^‘Better come to the big cabin for breakfast,” sug- 
gested Mrs. Remington, coming over to the camp. 

'T guess we will I” added Zan, shivering uncomfort- 
ably. 

So, the tents were left in good order and the camp- 
ers carried their cots over to the big cabin where 
they could place them on the great wide verandah. 

A cheerful log fire was burning in the wide chimney 
of the living-room and here the children gathered to 
enjoy the warmth while waiting for breakfast. 

After the meal was cleared away, Mrs. Hubert took 
up her knitting and asked the Woodcrafters if they 
wished to have a lesson in needle-craft. 

“Oh, dear, no! Not to-day! We want to dance and 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


310 

jump about to keep warm!” laughed Nita, who de- 
tested needle-craft. 

‘T’d like it, I think,” said Hilda. 

But she was soon overwhelmed with opposition, to 
the merriment of the grown-ups. 

‘Instead of knitting suppose we do some weaving? 
We have plenty of rushes under the piazza floor and no 
one has done any weaving in some time,” suggested 
Jane. 

So, the morning was devoted to weaving — the older 
girls making baskets and the younger Brownies weav- 
ing table-mats. 

After dinner Mrs. Hubert started the Victrola and 
the campers danced to their heart’s content, doing 
every dance they knew, and many of the games, too. 

“I wish we had horns to do the Caribou Dance,” 
sighed Zan, who liked that one better than the others. 

‘T’m afraid you’ll have to wait many moons before 
you have that wish fulfilled — unless you go out and 
cut some horns!” laughed Jane. 

“Now, don’t be too sure, Jane! There are some 
things I never travel without, and Caribou Horns is 
one of them !” laughed Mrs. Remington, going towards 
the narrow steps that led to the loft. 

Every one was surprised, but Billy smiled. “I bet 
mother put a set of antlers in the trunk with our 
other Woodcraft stuff!” 

And so it proved to be. With the return of Mrs. 
Remington to the room carrying a pair of horns for 
the dance, the furniture was quickly moved back out 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 311 

of the way to leave the centre of the floor quite clear. 
Then, Paul and Billy danced the Caribou to the great 
enjoyment of the others. 

When supper was announced every one was sur- 
prised for the afternoon had passed so quickly. 

*‘Well, we can have supper out of the way and have 
a fine long evening for story-telling/’ said Edith, as 
they went into the dining-room, which was a continua- 
tion of the living-room curtained off by portieres of 
summer material. 

Immediately after the meal, the Brownies clamoured 
for their story. 

‘'Dear me, we are all told out!” laughed Mrs. 
Hubert. 

“Billy’s mother never is V declared Dot. 

“I must live up to my reputation after that!” said 
Mrs. Remington, smiling; then she sat and gazed out 
of the window while the rain beat steadily down on 
the panes of glass. 

As she gazed, the remembrance of a story told by 
a friend out West came to her and she decided to 
tell it to the children, as it was very sweet and help- 
ful with its suggestions. 

“One day a dark cloud sailed across the blue sky 
and said, ‘How do you do, Mrs. Sun? I’ve gathered 
the water that the earth needs so much, and if you 
will please stop shining until I have finished sending 
the rain down upon the dry and dusty vegetation and 
ground. I’ll be much obliged.’ 

“So, Mrs. Sun smiled at Mr. Cloud’s brusque man- 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


312 

ner of speaking and hid her face behind a veil of fleecy 
vapour. 

‘'Soon after that, a great gathering of little rain- 
drops came tumbling out of their home in the big 
black cloud and started for the earth. They were 
happy, laughing little rain-drops and they just couldn’t 
help dancing and singing all the way down. 

“The gruff face of the old cloud broke up slightly 
in a watery smile as he heard them singing, so he 
called after them: 

“ ‘Be sure to do your best to-day. 

To make some one happy and some one gay.’ 

“The first thing a small group of the rain-drops did, 
was to flash against a broken window pane that partly 
sheltered an attic room in the lop of a tall old tenement 
house. There sat an old man, his face drawn from 
suffering and his back bent with age and the load 
of cares he had had to carry so many years. 

“When the rain-drops tinkled at the glass he looked 
up and felt refreshed at the sound, for he knew the 
shower would cool off the sultry city and his little 
grand-daughter working in the factory would feel bet- 
ter on this hot July day! As the little drops chased 
each other down the window panes, the old man re- 
membered how he used to watch them run down the 
glass of his boyhood home. Thinking of his happy 
childhood made him more cheerful and gay. 

“Another group of the singing rain-drops saw a 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 313 

weary little bird sitting on a dry bough of a tree. His 
suit was dusty, for he had travelled many, many weary 
miles that day to reach home where his family waited 
for him. But the sun had been so scorching and 
there was little water to drink on the land he had to 
fly over, so he drooped with discouragement among 
the wilted leaves. 

"Then the rain-drops called gaily to each other and 
all at once, from the branch above the weary bird’s 
head where they had gathered, a tiny stream poured 
upon his dusty feathers and washed the little fellow 
clean. He felt so refreshed at this that, with the con- 
fidence a clean body and a clear conscience always 
gives, he sang a lay and then flew down to a little 
pool of water and drank deeply to quench his thirst. 
He then flew on his way and soon reached home where 
he sang a gay song of thanks. 

""Still another group of rain-drops pattered upon a 
window near which sat a little crippled girl. She sat 
there most of the day looking down the narrow street 
to pass away the time. 

""As she watched the rain-drops playing tag and 
hide-and-seek upon the glass she smiled and was soon 
engrossed in trying to follow the flashing lines a drop 
made as it rolled down after its brother. 

""Then some of the drops ran together and made 
zig-zag pictures for the little maid until she clapped 
her hands in glee and laughed merrily. 

""Other rain-drops hurried down where dusty leaves 
of trees cried for a drink and still others fell upon 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


3H 

the drooping flowers and sank into their hearts to send 
refreshing moisture down into the roots that would en- 
able them to hold up their pretty fragrant heads again 
with a stronger faith than ever. 

“Then, some of the rain-drops fell upon streets or 
on dry land, where they too had a mission. For many 
drops would run together to a gutter or along the 
roadway until they fell into sewers, leaving filthy 
streets pure and clean; or the roadways would drop 
them into the ditch where they sank down out of sight. 
Roots of trees and growing plants would revive from 
the moisture soaking through the ground from the 
ditch-way, or perhaps, the tiny streams along the road- 
side would empty into the ground to lead the rain- 
drops along under ground until they came forth again, 
filtered and purified in a cool spring to offer way- 
farers a drink. 

“After many days the father cloud managed to 
gather them again in his arms, and when they were 
cuddled at his breast he said : 

“ "My rain-drops did their best that day 
To cheer the weary and make them gay.’ ” 

When Mrs. Remington concluded the story, there 
were many voices raised in ""How ! How !” and it was 
pronounced one of the dearest stories ever told the 
Brownies. 

That night, the two boys had to sleep in the loft 
where the windows were opened, and the girls of the 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 315 

Tribe slept on the piazza or in the living-room. But 
they did not like the closeness of the house after hav- 
ing slept in the open for so long a time. 

After breakfast the next morning, Mrs. Hubert of- 
fered to show the Brownies how to make a pin-hole 
camera if they would send one of their Tribe upstairs 
to find some empty boxes. So Zan was ordered to 
get them. 

‘T’ll go up with you, Zan, as I know where some 
shoe-boxes are kept,’’ said Jane. 

'^Those will be just the thing. Of course this is not 
going to be a real camera, but it is very amusing,” 
explained Mrs. Hubert. 

Hilda was sent to the kitchen to ask the maid for 
some sheets of oiled paper, and Elena was told to get 
her sketching materials ready to make a model for the 
Tally Book. 

When all the material was brought to the table in 
the big living-room, Mrs. Hubert began. 

‘Tirst, I cut a piece of cardboard about four inches 
longer than the end of this shoe-box. This is the 
sliding-screen frame inside. It will be bent over at 
each end into flaps that will hold it in place — like 
this.” 

The section was cut out and fitted in the box as she 
said. 

“Then, mark the end of the box ^A’ and the screen- 
piece 'D’ and the flaps 'H.’ When we come to other 
pieces we will letter them accordingly. 

“Cut out a section of the screen to make an opening 


3i6 little WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

for the wax-paper — about half an inch of card-board 
is wide enough for a margin to hold the oiled paper. 
Now mark that margin ‘D.’ 

'^Next, I must have a piece of oiled paper large 
enough to fit this opening and, after glueing it to 
the frame, it must be smoothed out very carefully that 
there may be no wrinkles in the paper. 

“After the glue is dry on the screen. I’ll cut a peep- 
hole in one end of the box — like this. That can be 



marked ‘E’; and at the opposite end I’ll make a tiny 
hole with a pin and mark it ‘C.’ 

“Now move the screen about four inches back from 
the pin-hole and put the box-cover on top. Point the 
box towards an object outside of the window and look 
through the peep-hole. 

“If it is night and the room is lighted, point the 
camera at whatever you wish to see in the room, and 
it will be focussed upon the wax-paper screen inside 
the box. To make the image larger or smaller, move 
the sliding screen back and forth to suit.” 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 317 

When the camera was finished Mrs. Remington 
leaned over Elena’s chair and took the sketch. She 
handed it to Mrs. Hubert, saying : ‘‘Isn’t that a clever 
drawing model? I could make a camera by just look- 
ing at this sketch !” 

Of course each Brownie wanted a camera-box for 
himself, so Jane was told to run upstairs and see if 
she could find any more empty boxes for the chil- 
dren. 

A few moments later Jane was heard giggling to her- 
self and she seemed to be jumping about on the floor 
overhead. So, Billy was sent to help her bring the 
boxes, for Mrs. Hubert thought she had too many to 
carry. 

Then the circle waiting in the living-room heard 
Billy laugh and say, “Let me try them — I bet I can 
do it!” 

Suddenly a crash as if the ceiled flooring was break- 
ing through caused Mrs. Hubert to call out : “What is 
the matter ?” 

“I warned you not to try up here. Out on the 
grass you will find a fall much softer 1” laughed Jane, 
as she started to come downstairs with the boxes. 

Billy followed after her, but he carried something 
very different from empty boxes. Every one looked 
in surprise for Billy had a pair of stilts. 

“We’ve found something to make during this rainy 
weather ! There is a pile of wooden pieces like these 
stilts waiting for us upstairs and Tim can help us 
saw off little blocks for the steps. We can each make 


3i8 little WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

a pair to play with as soon as the rain stops!” cried 
Jane, eagerly, as Billy went out on the porch and tried 
to walk with Jack’s old stilts. 

Everything else was forgotten and soon the ladies 
heard hammering and sawing overhead that threatened 
to bring down the flooring. 

‘^Many a bump they’ll have before they learn to 
walk on stilts !” laughed Mrs. Hubert. 

‘‘But I know this will be splendid practice to teach 
them to balance the body. I tried it myself when I 
was a girl and plenty of bruises I had before I could 
walk well,” laughed Miss Miller. 

“Yet I think they can soon learn when to jump 
clear, if the stilts topple over,” added Mrs. Reming- 
ton. 

So, all that day the Tribe and Tim worked in the 
loft making stilts for themselves. The older and 
taller members had high ones, the others graduating 
down in sizes until Teddy and Tammy had their steps 
about nine inches above the ground. 

When the children finished the work and came 
downstairs with the stilts, the ladies admired each pair 
and advised generously as to balancing. 

“You just ought to try them to see how far your 
advice will be used,” said Billy, laughing, but not 
meaning to be impertinent to the Guide. 

“Dear, I wish it would stop raining!” cried one 
of the big girls. 

“Did you girls make stilts, too?” asked Mrs. Hubert, 
sceptically. 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 319 

'‘Of course, we’re going to have as much fun as the 
Brownies,” returned Zan, going out on the verandah. 

Late that afternoon, the rain ceased and the sun 
peeped through the clouds just in time to say good- 
night to the children. 

"Can we try the stilts now?” asked Paul, impa- 
tiently. 

"No, it’s too late now, but you can walk down to 
camp on them in the morning, if you like!” said the 
Guide. 

The sun was shining brightly the next morning 
when the Woodcrafters moved back to their camp and 
the Brownies tried their stilts, trying to walk from 
the cabin down to the tents. Many a tumble they had 
before they could learn to balance well, but then they 
had great fun striding about on the Giant’s Legs. 

Soon after this event, the Guide said they must 
begin to practise for the exhibition to be given the 
parents and friends the week before breaking camp. 
So, various pursuits were dropped and more time given 
to charting their summer’s work. Butterflies had to 
be mounted and named; flowers pressed, and blue- 
prints had to be arranged neatly; plant life, forest life 
and insect life had to be. systematically catalogued in 
the Tally Books, and these took considerable time to do 
properly. 

Dances had to be practised, games tried out, and 
Indian songs acted. The bead-bands had been finished 
and used for trimming the ceremonial costumes, the 


LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 


320 

younger Brownies having simple bead trimming while 
the older ones made more elaborate bands. 

Betty had a pretty little dress and a head-band with 
bead trimming at intervals sewed on the bands. Teddy 
and Tammy had fringed trimming with scanty bead- 
work as they would not take the time necessary to 
weave bead-work on their looms. 

Then came a letter saying that a number of guests 
in automobiles were coming up the Saturday before 
Labor Day, to spend the two days in the mountains. 
‘'Of course Mrs. Hubert need not feel the least bit 
worried about accommodations for they all intended 
remaining at the little country hotel in the village 
where the train stopped at a signal from the conductor. 
As the sleepy little place was but ten miles from 
Woodchuck Camp, the guests could motor over from 
the hotel on Sunday and again on Monday.^’ 

The news made a great bustle at camp ; for two 
days in which to entertain made it possible to show 
off everything learned since the Pangi ‘Wigwam 
started. 

But the news that capped the climax was heard 
when the Guide received a letter from the doctor in 
which he wrote that the three boys from Grey Fox 
Band had learned so much of Woodcraft during the 
months spent on Wickeecheokee Farm that they, too, 
were coming with the party to show what they could 
do. 

“There now, Paul! Billy and you must sure do 




BILLY AND PATTL PRACTISING THE DANCES 


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THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 321 

your best or the Baker boys and Jack will make us 
feel like taking a back seat !” exclaimed Hilda. 

‘'Not much! Billy and I will practise so hard that 
we will be able to do the Scalp Dance, and all the 
others, to perfection.” 

So, every day the two boys dressed in ceremonial 
costume and practised diligently until they could do 
anything Mrs. Remington called for. 

As the entire party was to be devoted to the Brown- 
ies’ work, the big girls spent most of their time in 
helping the little ones to be ready when the days should 
arrive. 

Finally the Saturday arrived and the children began 
counting the hours that must pass before their parents 
and friends would arrive. Mrs. Hubert said it would 
not be possible for them to reach camp much before 
afternoon, so everything was in order before noon. 

As Mrs. Hubert stood with the other two ladies 
smiling at the Brownies’ last rehearsal, she turned to 
Hilda and said, “My sister-in-law will hardly recog- 
nise her hoyden in the Dot we can now introduce her 
to! The child has developed so many lovable traits 
and lost all the disagreeable habits !” 

“If that is true of Dot what must it be of Paul! 
Fancy that big spoiled baby — greedy, lazy and back- 
ward in most things — changed to this healthy, active, 
bright-minded boy! Why, mother will be speechless 
when she sees him !” added Hilda, feeling very proud 
of the little brother with whom Woodcraft had worked 
such marvels. 


322 LITTLE WOODCRAFTER’S BOOK 

Little Betty was much more self-reliant and natural 
as children should be, instead of shy and stammering 
as she had been. And Tammy had grown to be de- 
pendent upon himself instead of upon Teddy. While 
the latter had become more observant of the claims 
that others had to his time and attention. 

In fact, the entire Band of Brownies showed mar- 
vellous improvement in every way since they first 
joined the Tribe a few months before. 

After dinner, when every one was dressed and wait- 
ing for the arrivals, Mrs. Hubert was called to the 
telephone and heard her husband’s voice. 

‘We are just leaving the hotel and will be at camp 
in half an hour’s time!” 

The message was told to the others and little Betty 
gathered a handful of flowers for her beloved parents, 
but she wanted to give it to them before Tammy 
called for all of their attention. 

Zan said to herself, that the dear little girl made a 
perfect picture of patience and she was going to have 
a snap-shot of her if possible. 

So she crept behind the trees and skirted the spot 
where Betty stood unsuspecting any plot. When Zan 
reached a point in front of the little girl she carefully 
focussed the kodak and Betty heard a faint click. She 
looked about wonderingly, but saw nothing. So, she 
concluded it was a twig of a tree that snapped. 

Before she gave another thought to the incident, 
however, the sirens were heard, and Betty clutched 


THE END OF THE SUMMER CAMP 323 

her flowers so tightly that it is a wonder they were not 
hurt. 

As soon as greetings were over, the Tribe was coni' 
plimented upon its great improvement. Each member 
had a claim to this honour, and parents were delighted 
to find their children so well and happy. 

When the boys from the Grey Fox Band at Wickee- 
cheokee saw the exhibits of woven baskets, mats, In- 
dian beds, and seats; the bead-work and looms; the 
carpentry done by the Woodcrafters ; the totems, and 
other decorations ; the botanical exhibit and the insects, 
to say nothing of the songs, dances and games, and 
above all the little cabin, they decided they had abso- 
lutely no ground upon which to compete with this 
camp. 

The doctor marvelled at the progress made since he 
saw Wako Tribe on the Fourth, and he mentioned 
the fact, that some of the children had overcome 
chewing gum, as well as other habits ! 

Considering the large gathering of friends and 
Woodcrafters at that camp, it was noticeable that 
everything went off as planned and nothing occurred 
to mar the pleasure and joy of any one. 

When the visitors started for the return trip. Dr. 
Baker said, ‘T hope to see every one of you in a few 
days, ready to start your winter work in the city.'* 

And the members of Wako Tribe — Big Lodge and 
Little Lodge — answered “How ! How !" 


THE END 



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